Nico at Hogwarts: More Than a Half-Blood Prince
by The Amber Author
Summary: *Book (2/3) of the NAH trilogy* Run, run, run, as fast as you can, because Nico's second year at Hogwarts is HERE. With changed prophecies, broken wands, interacting cores, astonishing OWL reports, and one heck of a joke shop, the year can't get any crazier...Especially with monster gnawing at Camp Half-Blood's borders. Ah, well. C'est la vie. *Fanart by the amazing Kerowyn6!*
1. A Fair Judge

**Yes, yes, I probably shouldn't be doing this, but here' my excuse- my laptop' locked up in my cupboard, and I don't have Chapter 32 of NAH:Year 5 here. It's originally 4 chapter away from completion, but I'll try to combine the chapters later...anyway, I somehow got away with working on my mum's laptop, realized I had Chapter one of year six here, and decided I would publish it since it doesn't include much spoilers- I'll update NAH:Year 5 either later today if I managed to sneak of my laptop, or tomorrow, or maybe Thursday, but definitely by the weekend!**

**Enjoy:**

A dark-haired fifteen-year old sat in the corner of a room, surrounded by shadows. The room itself was actually quite dark, but the darkness around him was...darker. He was in a dream, and he knew it. One would really wonder why the shadows followed him there, too, but he didn't mind. He did, wonder, though, why he was having a dream.

This boy was a demigod. Demigods occasionally had dreams that would relate to their past, present, or future- this one viewed neither. He was simply drifting in nothingness, hovering about in the corner which was darker than the deepest earth abyss.

Then, he saw it- a face that emerged out of the darkness- it was sallow, dark, and bitter. A face of a man he'd grown to hate since he was eleven, but one he'd had to deal with against his better liking. Said person's face was twisted and cruel- or at least, that's how it looked like to him- a face of a revenge-hungry misleading maniac who called himself a judge- a soul that had almost led a small, misguided kid to his doom. The demigod would never know why Minos was one of the Judges of the Underworld.

"What do you want?" he growled- Children of Hades had quite a problem with grudges, just like Children of Posiedon were naturally rebellious, or Children of Ares impulsively built for war and bloodshed. Yet he would have hated Minos even without his fatal flaw, and he knew it. His father did not like him a lot either after what he'd attempted, but like everything else in his five-thousand long unending life, he had put it aside eventually. Minos was a judge of the Underworld, and judgement could not be submitted without him- that was it.

Minos' hard face twisted in a frown of annoyance. "Trust me," he growled. "I do not appreciate being here either, but I must obey Lord Hades orders, and I will admit this concerns my matter of work- a soul has been escaping us for too long. And us Judges don't take kindly to souls that try to evade death."

The demigod avoided Minos' eyes- he was in no mood to glare. He pretended not to be interested, but he kept his ears sharp. Lately, everything in his world had to involved him- from getting his cousin Percy to bathe in the River Styx, leading an army of undead warriors into battle, rescuing the Athena Parthenos, the symbol of Greek and Roman unity, to, lastly, spending an year at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, playing his game, collecting information, and doing anything to ensure this war would be won without being involved too much. He wasn't even sure why they were getting into a war that was theirs- the Olympians must have gotten bored after a few war-less months. However, if he was being honest with himself, he knew why this war mostly concerned many gods, especially his own father and Thanatos. He had wondered several times why the gods, with all the power they had and how much they wanted a certain Tom Riddle dead, didn't just zap or disintegrate the guy like they had always threatened the demigods they would- but he discovered why. There was a power- a power so foul could not be destroyed by any divine force, and it was within Horcruxes. He had never gotten the clear definition of a Horcrux. Hades had called them 'funky soul containers' if he remembered right. All that he knew was that they were created when someone intentionally divided their soul, tearing it apart, and after commuting a horrible deed, storing it in an artifact that later became a dark object of evil.

How to locate or destroy them, he knew not. But he did have a hunch.

"I cannot reveal the future, nor am I allowed to. Apollo is getting harsher by the minute- apparently, what is to come will cause panic."

"Can we get to the part where you tell me something I didn't know previously?" the demigod snapped. He finally picked up the will-power to glare at the none-present soul. Minos did not falter.

"There are six known ways to destroy what those foolish stick-wielders call Horcruxes. Four of them divine, and two of which are magical. What the four divine ones are, we can not tell exactly, but we know you will eventually have to come across them. The power of the divines, however, is so ancient, that one cannot work unless the other three are present."

Well, of course. He was probably right, then. He looked up at Minos, trying to look nonchalant. "They couldn't get anyone else to deliver this message, could they?" he asked quietly.

Minos did not answer. The shadows devoured half of his face, but before he was completely gone, his demanded loud enough-

"A fair judge is one that has the grace to be harsh when need be."

The last thing he remembered was laughing mirthlessly as the shadows enveloped him as well. Miles away from where Minos really was, Nico di Angelo sat up on his bed, gasping, and drenched in cold sweat.

_**-o-**_

"Nico!" Hazel said, jumping up.

"Sorry...Sorry, Hazel, didn't mean to wake you up." Nico apologized sheepishly- it was a relief, really, that he hadn't woken up anyone at the fifth cohort. They were all heavy sleepers. The Stolls had that joke about children of Hades sleeping like the dead, but perhaps that was a different rule for children of Pluto.

"It's all right." Hazel reassured, smiling. She hopped off her bed, and onto Nico's wrapping him in a tight hug. She kissed him on the forehead, still smiling.

"Happy Birthday!" she laughed. Nico frowned at her in confusion- it _wasn't _his birthday. He opened his mouth to tell his overexcited sister that, but Hazel seemed to know what he was going at.

"I know it's not your birthday for real- I know yours is January twenty eighth, Nico, but you were at that school of yours at that time- what was it called? Bogcharts? And, anyway, everyone's been busy with the monster attacks that we just couldn't hold you a proper party, you know?"

Nico smiled at her. "Yes, I know. Thanks, Hazel."

It was true- their Camps, especially Camp Half-Blood, were targeted by huge amounts of magical creatures. The trouble with magical creatures was, they didn't disintegrate when in contact with Imperial Gold or Celestial Bronze, and none of the demigod really knew how to fight them. Usually, at both camps, a small course was given to study how to do quests, kill monsters, and be a demigod hero in general. These small demonstrations included every known Greek and Roman monster's sensitive spot, strength, and weakness. With magical creatures, no demigod had the faintest idea what in Hades they were doing. The Athena Cabin was going nuts about it- calculating was everything to them. And much worse, the Hecate children, who were obviously the only ones that had the faintest idea how magical worked, were off to their quests before they could be much help. Since every quest naturally included three demigods, Chiron sent Hecate campers in groups of three each off to different direction- east, west, north, south, south-west, north-west, south-east, and north-east. They were off on a quest to find their mother, Hecate, who had mysteriously disappeared months ago, and query her about the balance of the magical an demigod worlds, and why it was messed up. Not exactly knowing where Hecate resided at the moment was another reason why Chiron had sent off every Hecate camper they had off in all eight directions to find Hecate and help her get things right. Unfortunately, the campers didn't get any prophetic help, either, because Apollo was being secretive about prophecies again- their only guess was that he had done something to anger Zeus and stopped the prophecy flow again, but since there were no thunder storms the past months, that idea was becoming quickly unpopular.

"I'm surprised you really bothered- I mean, with all that's been happening-"

"Oh, shut up. You know what surprises me?" she said. "That you forgot your own birthday, stupid." Hazel laughed, and Nico followed her laughter. She manipulated the mist, making a small chocolate cupcake on a tiny plate appear into her hand. Cocoa frosting read, '15', in a cursive script. Before Nico could utter a word of thanks, Hazel took hold of the mist-created cupcake and stuffed the entire thing down his throat. Nico almost choked on chocolate crumbs. After managing to swallow the thing half-whole, he had small fitting cough, which grew into a large one, and then he started hiccuping due to eating too much all at once without chewing much.

"Hazel did you- _hic-_did you have to-_hic-HAZEL!"_

Hazel was unfazed. She spared him another kiss on the cheek, conjured a glass of water, and handed in to Nico, who drank it in a gulp.

"Have some table manners, will you?" he chided, and she started walking away before Nico could even comprehended her words.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOVED THE THING DOWN, MY THROAT, HAZE!" he yelled after her. Yep. No doubt about it- from the groans, yelps of surprise, and heads hitting the floor, he could tell he had _definitely _woken up the entire fifth-cohort now.

"Nico!" Hazel said with mock-annoyances, poking her head back through the door. "Just because you're awake, doesn't mean you get to wake everyone else. Calm down." And he walked away.

Nico hated it. Hazel loved it- being hypocritical just to annoy him. Inwardly basking in sunlight, Nico departed from the yells of protest at waking the entire up, and excused himself to find a nice, solid, wall he could repeatedly bash his head into.

**Hope you liked that!**

**Anyway, I've got news- **

**1) Nico has a place in the Epilouge...yay!**

**2) I'm starting the first EVER Albus Potter series with a demigod in it! Of course, it will be Albus POV, but Nico will simply be a teacher, teaching a course called Practical Defense Techniques which is a weekly demonstration for first years and an option for third-years up!  
3) I'm not killing off two characters in this book after all! HAAAAAY! In fact, book 6 will be OC-FREE! Book 7, too, expect a chapter or two.4**

**4) Review! I won't update this again 'til I'm done with year 5, and then I'll resum****e updating regularly until I'm done with book seven...Then I'll start my Albus Potter series. Thanks for sticking up with me!**

**~Ambs**


	2. An Ideal Birthday Present

**Disclaimer: I, AmbushImagine, hereby claim that do not own the Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus series, and they belong to authors Joanne Rowling and Rick Rordan,**

**Story setting: The second book of the triology, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Things you must expect: This story is Nico-centric, although several demgod appearances will take place as well. The plot of the Harry Potter series is followed in basis of character death and injury. In this series, Nico and the demigods will have to interaction nor intention of killing Tom Riddle- anything that Harry does will reman the same, and he won't loose any limelight. I have no personal intention of making the demgods seem more heroic than wizards.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

**Full Summary: With the Hecate kids gone on a quest to search for their missing mother, Camp Half-Blood has n headstart on the magical monsters that seemed to attack them- the protective boarders are weakening, and the Golden Fleece can only hold it together for so long. Nico, however, has more problems as he heads for his second year at Hogwarts. A poisoning, a death, and strangely new-found talent. But thing only get out of hand even more when a demigod at Camp Half-Blood gets poisoned by a particularly nasty magical creature- the last one Nico expected. And what's worse? With the Hecate campers gone, no one but Nico's capable of making a cure.**

**O**

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_**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**_

_**Prologue**_

_**Chapter 1- An Ideal Birthday Present**_

_**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**_

_**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**_

_**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**_

_**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**_

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_**'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**_

**Chapter 1: And Ideal Birthday Present**

Nico felt very, very misplaced in a crowded shop. With the Stoll brothers, no less. It wasn't anything personal, really, Nico even kinda liked Travis and Connor, but there was no doubt they weren't the best company to have around. One of the reasons why, was their discreet prank scheming, which unnerved Nico to no small amount, but besides that and a few natural flaws, they were not too bad. Although he would have picked someone else out of the demigods of Camp Half-Blood/Jupiter- Reyna, Percy, Annabeth, most of the seven (Hazel was still his little sister, no matter how many goddesses she'd fought...he just liked thinking of it that way. It wasn't like shopping was dangerous, but she was spending time with Frank anyway, so that kind of ruled out both options) or even Thalia if she was around. Will was a definite option, too, but Chiron had insisted on two more campers that wouldn't have too strong of a scent and end up attracting a swarm of monsters. And from _that _category, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Hypnos were the only cabins that fit. As much as Nico was on good terms with Clovis and his cabin-mates at the Hypnos cabin, he wasn't keen on having a 'quest mate' (if this even counted as a quest) literally asleep on their feet, which was a habit most of the Hypnos kids had come into. He didn't think a snoring demigod would be much help during an ambush, either. Aphrodite was not even an option. He didn't trust any of them to not squeal or not stop by any corner shop for new shoes or such besides Piper. So Nico was left with the Hermes cabin- after making sure he had no other choice, the son of Hades had taken the Stoll brothers. Partly because they had begged him to- Travis and Connor had been pen-pals with Fred and George Weasley since last year's November (the Stolls would be accompanying him to Diagon Alley, too) , and they were quite keen to meet them, and partly because he'd gotten the Stolls to swear on the Styx they would leave Nico and the Hades cabin out of their pranks for the next decade (if he lived that long).

Travis and Connor had exchanged looks, then looked at Nico.

"Half a decade." Travis had said, his eyes narrowed.

"Three-quarters of it!" Nico shot back, quite desperate at that time.

"Third of a decade, then." Connor had added. "Two years...I'm not even sure that's considered third a decade, but Travis and I aren't concerned for our math. Wait...yep, that'd be fifth a decade. You're lucky." Nico had raised a challenging eyebrow, then shrugged. It was better than no deal at all. At least he knew he wouldn't be part of next Christmas' prank-wave.

So that was why Nico and the Stolls were walking through a crowded gift shop called 'Buyin' All the Odds' which had about everything 'odd' you could think of. There was a collection of polished Ferris wheels in miniature structures, tiny statues of everything from the Statue of Liberty to one of SpongeBob in an batman suit. There was a Bill Gates figurine, like the kind with large, nodding heads, right above the shelves that had a variety of all-occasion candles- birthday ones with numbers, Valentine's Day ones heart-shaped or with couples, and even one candle that for some reason said, 'I SCHOOLED THE NOOBS'. Nico didn't know if gift-shops were supposed to look like that, but when he turned to a corner with wedge-shape punching gloves hung on it, he was beginning to have doubts about coming there. Nico didn't know why, but he felt obliged to pick Harry's gift himself rather than order it or ask someone else. It was time to put himself to the challenge- he knew what all his friends liked. Will would love one of "Simple Plan's" many albums (Nico had figured that out after getting Will to stop denying it furiously). Percy definitely wouldn't say no to any candy product that was blue, although half the entire Camp knew he was 'not-secretly-anymore' obsessed with the classic James Bond films. Piper liked anything that her siblings hated, and Nico knew for a fact Jason would be over the moon if he somehow managed to get him a flying broom (not that he needed it, but it would probably be fun for him to fly without having to exhaust himself). Leo was a fan of the flaming chili Cheetos, only second to his the infamous Fonzies, and Nico also heard him say a flaming electric saw would be ideal, though he was sure Leo wasn't exactly serious about that. At least he hoped so. Frank was one for simple gifts that took effort to be made- a carved fluted out of wood, or a put-together amulet- anything hand-made and special. To him, it didn't matter what the gift was- it mattered how much work the person who'd given it to him put into it. Hazel had a pretty unhealthy love for chicken nuggets, but since she could have them anytime she wanted, Nico thought she'd much prefer some quiet family get together, like how they'd watched that holographic-movie of the Man in The Iron Mask last Christmas with mugs of hot chocolate. Annabeth's gift was simple- books, books, and anything having to do with books. Although those construction structures for famous building weren't bad ideas, too. Reyna was much harder, but in the end, the praetor of New Rome wanted nothing but the feeling of normality Nico felt she truly deserved- she would accept anything, really, but Nico found that she was fond of German chocolate cakes. Grover was a big fan of Jessie McCartney, while Thalia rivaled him by her love for Green Day- a few top-hit songs from each band, and both them would be Hedge? Give him anything sharp and he'll gladly accept. These were pretty much the only demigods/satyrs he bothered to gift much- he'd be damned if he ever thought of giving the Stolls anymore Weasley products, he didn't think the camps would stay standing.

All in all, Nico felt really proud of himself for putting together what his friends liked, it make him feel like he knew them well. He had a pretty good idea what his magical friends liked as well...Hermione liked pretty much the same things as Annabeth, expect instead of a rebellious head-dive into architecture, Hermione was headed for the more logical and witty-worded path of politics- the girl could easily persuade people. Anything (unless it had to do with Quidditch) would catch Hermione's interest as long as it captured true facts and strayed away from scandals and lies. Like Annabeth, she was a strict calculator and looked ahead, but unlike the daughter of Athena, she was not the strategic one, but rather simply steady-minded and ready for what was to come by taking precautions- yes, Hermione was definitely going to make a home in the area of law and politics in general some day. Ron was perhaps the easiest to gift- just give him anything related to Quidditch- but Ron, Nico knew, was also an amazing strategist. He was smart- but just not where he most needed his wit to be. Although Quidditch equipment would be an ideal present, a new wizarding-chess set, say, would be welcome, too. Luna, whom Nico only really got to know during the end of last year, was the complete opposite of Hermione in most things- she was quite ready to believe the unbelievable,which proved both useful and endearing at times, but her love for exotic creatures made Nico know for a fact that she would enjoy theories and sightings of magical creatures throughout the ages. Neville was easy- that boy was a Herbology prodigy, and anything related to the subject would lighten him up. Nico's ADHD brain wandered off and he imagined sending Draco Malfoy a box of especially poisonous Doxy's that year for Christmas. He smiled, but reminded himself to continue his train of thought. Yes, Harry was the difficulty- Nico thought he had a pretty good idea what to give him, but he wanted to be original.

Half the Hecate campers had stacked gifts for the Boy-Who-Lived before leaving (they were probably looking ahead because they were gone about an hour after Nico, Percy, and Jason's arrival) and some of the campers did, too. Percy got him his mom's famous blue cookies when Nico told him about Harry's cousin having a strict diet (a piece of information he'd gained from Ron), reflecting sympathy. Jason, who was at the moment sharing Percy's OCD (Obsessive Competitive Disorder) didn't like his cousin beating him at anything, and had heard Harry was nice, so he sent him a coat literally made of non-condensed rain-water.

"What's the point of wearing it?" Nico remembered asking him with a raised eyebrow. "If it's made on rain drops, I mean. Wouldn't that make him cold?" Jason had just shrugged.

"It's supposed to have the opposite function." he said nonchalantly. "You know, instead of warming you in the winter, it cools you in the summer." Jason paused to grin proudly. "Get it?"

"Uh, huh..."

Leo had thrown in a pair of fire-proof gloves that Calypso helped him weave, but he whispered that it was pretty much anything-proof since Leo had covered the palm-area with rare Nemean-Lion hide.

The Hecate cabin sent good-luck notes, telling Harry they expected the best and knew he could do it, and Nico had to shake his head. He knew that would only probably make Harry feel worse. Half the other gifts were late-valentines from Aphrodite kids which Leo helped him burn. No one would no why the bonfire was abnormally larger that day when they were sitting around the camp-fire, roasting s'mores.

Nico was pondering on this, trying to think of a good gift as he eyed the Ferris wheels carefully- the Stolls were looking at the confetti-cylinders with mischievous grins, probably too busy to offer Nico any help in gift choice. Not that he'd expected them to be any help, anyway. He was distracted by the sound of a feminine voice scolding someone in an exasperated tone.

Nico, out of curiously, moved his heard toward the sort of a sound- a mother was chiding her son, who looked close to tears, severely. He couldn't make everything she said out, exactly, but she was going on about growing up and not being immature. As she walked away, Nico saw two sets of something he'd never thought about since forever. He felt hs face heat over suddenly- loathe as he may admit it, he'd just found what he thought was a perfect birthday present.

-O-

"Wow," Frank breathed. "I can't believe you're giving him...that."

Nico had to stop the blush from creeping into his face- he knew it was childish, really, but the second he saw it, he knew it was the perfect present, and he realized what Harry wanted- something of a childhood. A memory. Something hard to obtain. And Nico had gotten it.

"That's just...hypocritical." Frank said bluntly, shaking his head and folding his arms disapprovingly. Hazel giggled. "Just last year you were going on about how stupid it was, and now you buy Harry a set for his birthday?!" the son of Mars said disbelievingly, his face screwed up, making him seem remarkably immature for his age.

"Things have changed," Nico muttered. Will sarcastically patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sure they have." he said, though he looked like he was suppressing laughter. Annabeth rolled her eyes at them, while Percy had a small smile on his face- for once, it looked sincere rather than sarcastic.

"We're not having a council meeting to argue about birthday presents you're all giving to a kid most you don't know." Annabeth snapped, standing up abruptly- her blonde was a little more ruffled than usual, and there were dark lines under her eyes- she looked like she hadn't slept well, and Nico might had been imagining it, but her arm was squeezing around Percy's waist a tad more tighter than necessary, too.

"I must agree with Annabeth," came Chiron's reply- but his eyes lingered on Annabeth in worry. "We have come here to discuss what we are to do about the boarders of camp- the Fleece can only protect us so much."

Annabeth let out a breath and threw Chiron a grateful look as she sat back down. The other cabin counselors were a little too scared to say anything, until Will cleared his throat.

"Well, we know that the Hecate kids have gone to look for their missing mother, Hecate, but what we don't know is where she is. And according to Nico, the last order Hecate gave them was apparently, to go fixing stuff in the British Monarchy of Magic."

"Ministry." Nico corrected. "And I've done my research- I'd consider myself average at Care of Magical Creatures, but I don't know half of these things- they must be either illegal cross-breeds no one knew existed, or creatures so dangers that they're not studied."

"Both of the options awfully stink, for the record." Travis Stoll supplied helpfully.

"And we have not idea at all how to fight and kill them, as Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold are about as damaging as Percy's panda pillow-pet-"

Percy, aghast, opened his mouth to protest, but Connor just continued-

"-and Nico's made it clear we can't get Stygian Iron-" Nico nodded firmly-

"-so weapons aren't really useful. So. Anyone have any ideas?" Connor completed. The Big House was in complete silence for a few moments.

"_You _stole my pillow-pet! I-I mean, it's not mine- I-I gave it to Annabeth and- and-..." Percy trailed off. He dropped the accusing finger he had been pointing at the Stolls, ad his face heated up. A series of snorts and groans escaped the campers as Percy reluctantly sat down.

"That's beside the point, bro." Jason said, patting Percy's shoulder sympathetically. "Where's Pipes when we need her...That girl can _really _hit well."

"She's locked herself in the Aphrodite Cabin." Lacy said cheerfully, hopping up and down. For some reason, since Piper and everyone else in Aphrodite refused to show up, Lacy volunteered.

"Why?" Mirinda Gardiner asked curiously.

"Oh, her sixteenth birthday's next week, you know?" she said rather conversationally. "Mum charmed her into a Victoria's Secret swim-suit, and she can't get it off, so now she's too embarrassed to go out!" She said that with a crazy smile on her face, as if Piper in a Victoria's Secret suit was the weirdest thing she had even heard of.

The guys around the table started sputtering and blinking while the girls looked up at the ceiling- whether trying to imagine Piper in such clothing, or evading Jason's eyes, Nico couldn't tell.

"TMI, Lacy." Pollux said, shaking his head. "TMI." Lacy was oblivious to his words. Reyna, who looked annoyed at Lacy's lack of respect for privacy, cleared her throat.

"If I may," she began."I don't want to interrupt this _very _important conversation about panda plushies and Aphrodite's clothing choice, but if I remember right, we were previously discussing how to stop the monster which are currently _trying to slay everybody in Camp Half-Blood as we sit back defenseless._"

Nico couldn't help but feel impressed at Reyna's ability to shut everyone up- it was quite effective, really. He wondered if the praetor could teach him.

"Eh, right." Pollux said sheepishly. "Sorry. But-but I was thinking, well, we could maybe...maybe have, like, a few people keeping guard by the boundaries- take it in shifts, you know? And then we can have the tree nymphs alert us if they sense any monsters near by."

Reyna blinked, her angry reigning itself slowly. She sat down. "That...that's actually not a bad idea. I guess that's all we've got, for now."

Chiron sighed through his nose. "Indeed. That does seem like an appropriate choice. Good job, Pollux." Pollux grinned smugly- it was hard to smuggle a praise past Chiron.

The old centaur continued speaking. "But you must know something else- I ask you not to give this away to the rest, since it will cause panic, but it is not only our Camps that are targeted- my...Relatives have also been having trouble."

"Who? The Party Ponies?" Percy asked.

Chiron raised an eyebrow, but did not deny it. "It appears that the entire Greek and Roman worlds are clashing with the Magical ones. The- ah, Party Ponies, as you call them, are away in Hawaii to evade the monsters."

"How does being in Hawaii stop monsters?" Annabeth asked, raising in eyebrows.

"I don't think it does," Jason reasoned. "But think about it- Hawaii. Those parties in grass skirts around the fire, the juices they have in sliced coconut shells and there's not problem in staying up late."

"Point taken, bro." Percy said, nodding. Nico, however, felt a sort of bell ringing in his head, but he couldn't make a connection to the Party Ponies going to Hawaii.

Chiron pursed his lips, the way he would when he knew something dangerous. "The venti are sheltering near Nepal, too. The presence of magical creatures disturbs their atmosphere. It is very worrying."

"Well, don't wizards have some sort of equivalent to the mist?" Hazel asked. "It won't affect mortals, will it?"

"No," Chiron agreed. "It will not. But it _will _affect us and the way we live."

"But why?" Leo, who had been surprisingly silent, asked. It was as if he was thinking the conversation through."Why us? I mean, why do those hocus-pocus thingies drive us and pretty much everything Greek and Roman coo-coo, but we can't drive them off the hammer, too?"

"You know, that's a good question." Nico admitted. "I haven't seen any Greek- or Roman monster outside of Hogwarts, and I had been to their Forbidden Forest."

"We...need to look into that." said Frank, swallowing.

An uncomfortable silence had suddenly enveloped the room.

**RRs:**

**Kerowyn: Thanks! Well...I don't know. Maybe I have less obligations cause I'm younger, or maybe I like to write a lot and type really quick (a con and pro, considering I tend to make mistakes as I type). *Gasp* Once a month?! How do your poor readers manage?**

**Sure! Oh, btw, I'm not really gonna make it OC free, I just mean OCs won't be much of a presence this time...so you'll get a little chapter with Tskia, just for you. And, sure I'll write a one-shot for you once I get the chance to. And oh, I replied to your other review- added another Chap. to NAH:Year 5 just for review replies. I'd love to have some fanart, too! I'm a terrible artist myself- part of the reason why I'm glad there's more to art than just drawing! Hehee...You didn't have to wait for long, did you? **

**-Ambs.**

**-About 7 mins later-**

**Hi! Just caught your other review:**

**Ooh, you get sun burns? I tan. But I really hate the sun sometimes- here in Egypt, the whether changes so abruptly it's ridiculous!**

**When you talk like that, you make me even more jealous of my dad, who's in America, the paradise of books. I wish I could follow him already- living in Egypt is so weird. I've only been here since last August. I've tried getting books here, trust me, I did, but half of their books are in Arabic, which I got better at reading, but not really. It hurts my eyes sometimes- the words are so close together! And the only library which has a fair chance of having decent books is far from where we live, and I don't think mom would agree to a three-hour or so drive just to buy me books**

**Well, Lord of the Rings sure does sound good...my friends had me try to watch the Hobbit, but I got bored after five minutes. It's not fun when you don't know what's going on. Yeah...I don't know anyone of those, but Sean Bean has a cool name, so the movies are probably good!**

**Is it that weird to update on time? *Blink* Weird...I admit I slouch off sometimes, and I get more than a little lazy now and then, but I always manage to update on, or before due time. Just a habit, really. And..Wyn. *Wince* Well, there are better name choices, I'll go with that!**

**Hehehehe. You're really funny. I mean it. No, as far as I know, Tskia hasn't been eating ice cream out of bins or reading Harry/Hermione fanfics. And...I don't know if he killed people, but you can ask the ghost of that guy over there- I think I saw a suspiciously familiar red head accidentally kill him. You know, if Discworld is as awesome as you say it is, then I might give it a try! I know how awesome it would be to feel that way, really. If it means anything to you, then it does to me!**

**Anime...Hmm, I miss it. But I only watch a bit- One Piece, Connan the Detective dude, and of course, Death Note (I'm a fan of anything that's got Alessandro Juliani in it...Expect maybe Transformers: Beast Machines. I honestly just don't get the point of that show) but nothing else. So, yeah, Hiakus! But I'm honestly too bothered to keep watching over the syllables. **

**Oooh... good idea! Or just use a Homeno Revelio (I think that's the incantation) or actually use the flour idea, and then just Scourgify it or...Why does the book have to be invisible anyway? Seriously! Wait, how are they even supposed to read it? That's too complicated. I guess they just thought it was ironic- I bet the authors of the IBOI and MBOM are best buddies.**

**Cool! I'm a Ravenclaw! At least that's what Pottermore said. Get me a new house mate, will you?**

**Thanks for reviewing!**

**-Ambs.**


	3. On Too Much Fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the trilogy, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

_**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**_

_**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**_

_**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**_

_**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**_

_**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**_

_**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**_

**O**

_**'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**_

**Chapter 2: Summer at Privet Drive**

**Part 1: On Too Much Fire**

As far as Nico could remember, his life was always a series of one problem after another, so it really shouldn't have surprised him when he found himself faced with another little fix.

But he was. And if that wasn't enough to warn anyone that this 'little fix' was a tad bit bigger that 'little' then let's just mention the fact that that day, the sun was bright, and many people were standing outside, not to mention the shades provided by the cabins-a source of light, check, an opaque object and screen, check. Shadows? Double check.

But when Nico tried to shadow travel, he couldn't. Literally. The son of Hades had no way of explaining it besides the shadows literally pushing him away. He always saw them as a sort of comfort other than good means of transport- he always stood or sat with one side to the shadows, but now, it was like they were rejecting him.

"Trouble?" Nico jumped, and turned towards a sheepish looking Leo Valdez who was standing right behind him. Percy, who was standing beside the son of Hephaestus, waved aimlessly.

"No." Nico said defiantly- it was just some stupid glitch- he would eventually get it right.

"Aw, come on." Leo said indignantly, his hair setting on fire to prove his disdain. "I'll get you that Oreo McFlurry- promise! Look, I didn't mean to set your closet on fire, really, man, but that's not an excuse to practically push yourself at thin air."

Nico felt himself wince involuntarily. "Is it that obvious?" he asked uncertainly.

"Nope." Percy sad, popping the 'p'. "No one's noticing you have a battle against nothing. It'll just pass as mime practice, don't worry." he said cheerfully, playing with a piece of paper in his hand. He was unfolding it now and then, smiling brightly, and then folding it again and looking smug.

Nico looked around, but no one was looking at him- or maybe they just caught their cue and looked away in time.

"What are you do doing together anyway?" Nico asked, trying to draw the conversation away from him.

Leo and Percy shared a look, then turned to Nico with what he knew were fake innocence in their expressions.

"Nothing." they said simultaneously, and Nico didn't believe them for a moment.

"Guy stuff." Percy added. "For older guys. You wouldn't understand anyway, Nico."

"I'm not a kid!" Nico demanded angrily. "I'm fifteen."

"And I'm sixteen, gonna be seventeen." Leo said, sticking out his tongue.

"I''m almost eighteen- that's how old I'll be before you go for your second year at that school with a funny name- so I'm basically almost a legal adult." he went with the more mature means of smirking smugly. Nico rolled his eyes.

"So, are you gonna tell us, or should we bother you until you do?" asked Leo innocently.

"I-I can't shadow travel- something's wrong." admitted Nico reluctantly, throwing Leo a challenging look and daring him to spread it around- he knew Percy wouldn't say anything, but after that little fire incident in the Hades Cabin, and Leo totally being to blame for the loss of Nico's McFlurry (he had to empty his ice cream onto the fire to help put it out), his trust in the son of Hephaestus was bruised.

"Can't...shadow travel?" Percy stuttered, his eyes widening as Leo's own grew the size of saucers. "Nico, that's not normal. Maybe you should tell Chiron?"

"No, no!" Nico said hurriedly, feeling panic shoot through his veins. "I don't want to worry him anymore- its just some sort of...error. Just a tiny mistake, and time will fix it. Camp has its own problems- the monsters and everything. And most of them have really thick hides, so Connor's theory about weapons being as harmful as Percy the legal adult's pillow-pet panda may not be too wrong." Leo snorted with laughter, though he look slightly worried, as Percy blushed.

"Alright, then. I'll do you a favor and not tell Annabeth, who will most definitely report to Chiron. Not that I'd tell her anyway- she's not keeping her side of the deal anymore." he pouted miserably.

"What do you mean she's not 'keeping her side of the deal'?" Nico asked incredulously.

"She...she doesn't confide in me anymore. She hasn't been sleeping well the last few days- I can just tell. But she's not telling me what's bothering her either." Percy looked positively upset at that. "I mean, I'm trying to stay as open with her as I can- I just tease her about secrets now and then, but she doesn't seem to mind, and it's driving me nuts. I'm pretty sure Rachel knows though- I've seen them talk about it."

"Girls will be girls, man." Leo shrugged. "Now we've got to worry more about Nico- since he can't book at seat at the Shadow Express, we'll have to take him to that place...Drivet Prive, won't we, Perce?"

"No you won't." Nico said stubbornly. In truth, he did need a few fresh ideas, getting to Privet Drive, but he was still holding a grudge against Leo.

"We'll buy you a Happy Meal along the way." Leo promised. "Come on, man- we're not driving you to Britian, but we can just drop you off at New York or something- don't wizards have brooms to fly on?"

"There is _no way, _I am riding one of those things." Nico vowed. The concept of rising up to Uncle Z's territory made him shudder- he'd be burned to a crisp in a second...or not, since Hades made it clear he was allowed to go wind/sea surfing, but that didn't exactly reassure him.

Leo blinked. "Wow!" he breathed. "Those are actually real? I was only being sarcastic."

"When are you not?" Percy retorted.

"...Touche, then."

"I can use...the Knight Bus." Nico said, snapping his fingers suddenly. That piece of information was buried deep in his brain with all the other stuff Hecate had shoved in there, but he sought it out in the end and captured it.

"Oh-kaaayy...Well, you know, I was kidding about there being a Shadow Express. Now there's a Night Bus, too? The next thing you say, they have magic carpets that can fly!"

"We- I mean, they do." Nico said as he watched Leo's jaw drop and Percy start laughing. "And it's the _Knight _Bus. Knight, as in, K-N-I-G-H-T, with a silent K. And flying carpets were banned since as group of idiots decided it would be cool to fly over a bunch of Mug- er, mortals, and then fell off on top of them. So they're pretty much out of law now- especially since it _is _pretty easy to fall off, once you think about it."

Leo's mouth was open, and his hand was raised in protest, but he didn't look like he knew what to say. His eye twitched and he let his hand drop to his side. Percy looked like he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Let's...just go get a cab." Leo sighed, and Nico felt a sort of smug satisfaction as he watched Percy run off to call Argus and ask him for a ride to a fairly used avenue where they could get a cab.

-O-

Everything was fine- boring, but fine, really, until Leo set the taxi on fire.

In the end, Leo did keep his promise- he bought Nico a Happy Meal with an X-tra large McFlurry, but one ice cream, a burger, and a few fries didn't last an entire cab ride from Long Island to New York- he really tried to pass the time, he did, but it was plain boring. He tried to sleep for a while, but found he couldn't with all the honking and rough driving. He tried to look out of the window, but all he could see was smoke, cars, people yelling at each other rudely out windows and shaking their fists (Sally Jackson wouldn't have wanted him to hear the words they were speaking) and buildings passing by. To put it simply- it sucked. Nico kept on asking Percy and Leo how much longer he had to wait, and kept getting a 'not long...' or 'I dunno' until he asked them once more out of boredom, knowing the answer he would get.

"I don't know how you people manage." Nico groaned quietly so only the other two demigods, who were both squished on either side could hear. "Trust Mrs O'Leary to choose a time like this to go wandering in the Underworld. How much longer?"

Percy rolled his eyes, which Nico expected, but Leo did something he _didn't _expect. He pulled out a phone- it wasn't anything fancy. It was reasonably average-sized, plain fiery red, and with a silver iron lining. Nico and Percy goggled at him as he pressed a button on the side, following an extremely complicated pattern he traced with his finger on the touch screen, and then said in a toneless voice- "We should be there in another fifteen minutes."

"Dude!" Percy breathed in awe staring at the phone, and reaching forward with his index finger to touch the golden 'FP' that was inscribed on the bottom left of the phone. Leo pulled it away immediately.

"Where'd you get that?" Nico said incredulously. "Demigods aren't supposed to have electronics- the three of us can attract enough monsters as it is, but you're just giving them a fire in the night to follow with that thing." he hissed.

"Heck of a difference _that _would make." Leo snorted. "Even Camp is barely safe- I'd take a boring cab ride over that huge cloud of fluster-buster hanging over everyone at camp, and I think so would both of you. And I didn't _get _it. I _made _ it. It's still a prototype." Leo admitted, putting his phone in his pocket quickly- he threw a nervous glance at the taxi driver, who was humming, and oblivious to their discreet talking.

"What do you mean you made it?" Percy asked dubiously. "And yeah, _how _is it not attracting a horde of monsters?"

"Hang on," Nico said. The presence of demigods around had naturally hid his use of magic- not that they'd expel him anyway, but he liked to keep up with the rules occasionally, too. However...He pulled out his wand and muttered a 'Muffiato' so the driver couldn't hear them, but they could hear him if he decided to speak. No spark of light flew from his wand's tip- but he assumed that was just how the spell worked.

"Because it sends vibrations which repel anything that lead monsters to us; apparently, the existence of a demigod is like any other signal along the wireless, and you know how people keep away unwanted data from their gadgets by securing allowance to only a certain amount or kind of data? That's kind of how it is with demigod signals- a monster's brain picks up our location kind of like a phone picks up Bluetooth messages that pop up if someone wants to send you something- in this case, electronics send these signals to the monsters, alerting them of a nearby half-blood. I managed to install a program in a chip that repels any and everything exterior to what I specified and doesn't reach out to unwanted distances, so I won't receive enough outside data to attract attention to myself, and so no monster or any baddie knows where I am. It just needs a bit of tinkering on the anti-magnitude section, but I think this one's good enough for now." Leo ranted.

"Uh huh.." Percy said, slumping back into his seat with a sigh of amazement. "I'm just going to sit here and pretend I understood everything you said." Percy said with an angelic look at Leo, who rolled his eyes.

Despite being a jerk who hid in closets with cameras for his stupid documentary, Nico had to admit Leo was a genius when it came to building and manual thinking in general.

"You lost me somewhere around 'securing allowance to only a certain amount or kind of dama'." Nico confessed. Leo looked exasperated, but somewhat expectant.

"Data." Leo's correction was gone unnoticed, however.

"Whatever." he said. "The point is- it doesn't attract monsters. And it has this really cool program I made up- I call it the Ignis App. It's kind of like WhatsApp for demigods." he finished, smiling.

"So what are you going to call it? You know? Like, what '_brand' _is it?" Percy asked while Nico threw him an annoyed look- _that _was what he was worried about?

"The Fire Phone." Leo answered simply, tapping the little golden 'FP'. "Or the Fire Phoenix if the previous name isn't good enough."

"Cool," Percy whispered.

"No it's not!" Nico protested. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because it's a prototype- it's not ready yet. Duh." Leo answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Would you have approved if I had flown the Argo II to New Rome before I made sure the ballistae was working well, or before I made sure the oars were capable of carrying the ship into the air despite all the opposition the laws of physics offer and the extra density of it?"

"That's different." Nico said defensively. "Annabeth's not bugging you to hurry up and get it done this time- and everyone _did _know about the Argo II- look, this maybe just a discussion I'm just dragging because this stupid cab is slow and I'm bored out of my mind, but why didn't you tell any Hephaestus kids? Couldn't they have helped you?"

"They would have." Leo admitted. "But I had to do this myself."

"Personal credit and all." Percy agreed, tapping Leo's shoulder as the son of Hephaestus smirked and nodded. Nico opened his mouth to say something else, but Leo beat him to it.

"Look," he said. "I'll give you a copy once it's ready- I'll even make it all black for you- I did buy you that Happy Meal, didn't I?"

"I paid for that!" Percy felt the urge to remind loudly.

"-I'll give you one if you quit arguing about my Fire Phones, kay?"

Nico considered this. "I get a skull phone-cover and my own head-phones?" he asked slowly, turning his eyes to the front in thought. The driver was talking on his own phone and driving with one hand. Typical ignorance of rules.

"Mini-skulls with x-shaped bones around the corners." promised Leo.

"Deal." agreed Nico, just as the driver turned their way and the taxi-cab halted to a stop.

"Erm...excuse me?" he said. "I think we're here. Or would you like to skip to the next station? I have a meeting with someone there anyway."

"No, please." Nico said desperately- he knew the driver couldn't hear him, but he really, really, didn't want to stay in that stuffed car any longer.

"All right." the driver said- Percy, Leo, and Nico exchanged gobsmacked looks.

"The station's just right there on the side-walk. You can walk out- I'm stuck in traffic- he gestured to the sea of colorful cars behind and in front of them.

"Uh...all right." Percy said, pushing the door open as Leo dug into the wallet Percy gave him. He handed the driver a 36-dollar note as they had agreed on.

"Is something wrong?" the young man asked.

"No, no, no, no..." Percy said hurriedly, poking his head through the door as Nico climbed off, almost stumbling.

"No. What gave you that impression?"

"Oh," the driver said sheepishly. "Sorry- it's just. Well, your faces. You look kinda worried."

"Nothing's wrong. D-don't worry." Nico said, but he didn't succeed in concealing his shock- which just meant he was more than usually shocked because he was normally good at holding back.

"Okay then," he said with a wink. "I'm around Little Eredinlen if you need me- Alex Desmond."

"Yeaaaaah..." Percy said. "Sure. Of course. We'll go see you. Again."

Alex was just about to turn around and drive when Leo's eyes widened-

"My Fire Phone!" Leo yelped- "Wait, le grand dude!" he opened the door again and dived for the seat and appeared to search for his FP Nico poked his head in to help him and get it over with just as Leo's fingers enclosed around the red phone.

And then the car burst into flames.

***Clears throat* MWAHAHAHAHAHAAHA! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YES, FINALLY! I was bored for a week with my practical exams, and I still have the visual ones to do in May, but finally, finally I can have fun again! *Laughs* Yes, yes- this story isn't one of those that leave you baffled about facts and then throw them out of the window and give no explanation whatsoever after the fanfic is supposedly 'completed'. This is also a common thing with famous, normally well-liked novels. *Glares at Maze Runner*. Anyways, I realize the things I am yet to explain:**

**1) Why the Hecate kids were in the DOM and where the hell is Hecate.**

**2) Why Nico's spell didn't work. And why he couldn't shadow travel :P**

**3) Why the cab suddenly transforms itself into a fireplace. No, it's not Leo's fault, but he doesn't necessarily need to know that :P.**

**4) Annie's dreams. I haven't forgotten about them, see?**

**5)...A lot of other things I don't have the time nor patience to mention. List them out if you want, just in case :P.**

**Reference**** to Leo TOTALLY wasting ice cream is from one of my fanfics, 'The Leo Valdez Files'. SHALULA!7**

**I NEEEED A BETA. LIKE, SERIOUSLY. I CAN'T STAND RE-READING, AND I TYPE TOO QUICKLY NOT TO HAVE ANY MISTAKES.**

**Anyway: I kept getting the question of whether Nico would be in a relationship eventually in this or not. Let me get something straight (or, hehe, technically the opposite)- I'm a total Solangelo shipper. Really. I am. I don't like most people's all-straight attitude. I don't know any gay people, but I know it must be hard not to be accepted, so PROUDLY SHIP SOLANGELO! But the answer, is no. *Clears throat again* Cause of the conflicting pairings. And breaking all our little hearts to pieces, is the fact that Solangelo isn't cannon, and this fic is a 100% so. I can write a seperate Solangelo one-shot sometime, but this is a trilogy, so I don't want conflicting public opinions- I don't want Perico shippers getting mad if I have Solangelo, or vice-versa. And of course, I won't do anything non-cannon. You may be wondering why just ignore what others want and do what I prefer- well, it's because I don't much care for pairings in general (CALEO BEING AN OBVOUS EXCEPTION! EEEP!) and I'm focusing more on the action. *Bows* Now, back to other matters!**

**So, Plot's rolling well, and I can tell you Nico's year is going to start with a...**_**blast. **_***Smirks evilly***

**Thank you all, ya! **

**RRs:**

**Finwitch1: Wow. You guys are really good at guessing gifts, aren't you? Or maybe I'm too obvious. Anyway, yes, the IBOI and MBOM are definitely two books I'd gladly take into my collection. And I guess you're right about them knowing what they're doing. Yeah..well, honestly, that's a sucky way to read- and I don't know Braille. I've always marvelled at how the blind could read it- amazing. Anywho...Thanks for leavin' a review!**

**alealea: Me too! And trust, me you do NOT! I have three younger brothers to bug me for life-they're like the devil's incarnation. **

**Princess Of Flames: O-la-la! Good guess! You're the only one besides Finwich to guess it right. Or to bother guessing it at all, I guess. Yeah. I speak Arabic (And Frenc...and German), but I've been learning english since I could talk. And though Arabic isn't REALLY hard to read, it's giving me headaches with grammar. It's confusing. Grr! Anyway, thnks for leaving a review!**

**shadowell: Greetings, Slytherin! Yep, I'm a 'Claw. And PRRRROOOOUD! You should be proud to be in da House of Regulus Black, and Sev Snape, too! **

**HowlingRain: I just thought it was a good idea, see. And really nice :P Excited for your reviews, too! OOh, yah!, RAAAAVNCLAWS! WE GO DING, DANG, DING! BLUE AND BRONZE FOR THE WIN! AN EAGLE IS ALL BIRDS' KING! I'm a Rave, an PROUD!**

**Neon Wish: *Bows* My honor to meet a member of the badger house! Did you know that Jo Rowling's a Hufflepuff?**

**Kerowyn6: Yeah. Sorry. Writing in big paragraphs just makes me feel superior. Teehee :D. And I did just want to have a bit of fun with it, but yeah, I guess it isn't exactly professional. Heh. I trust your professional/kinda good drawing skills- just put anything and I promise it'll be on the cover. But I have a much...much...much more entertaning image in mind...*smirks* It has to do with a certain Boy Ferret and a son of Hades in a little potion explosion (that rhymed XD!). And of the Silver Quartet (that's what I'm dubbing them) leaning over an over-sized brochure with Ginny holding a quill. That'll be around Chapter 6 or something. Or 7. I dunno really, but I'm having far too much fun with this marauder stuff- but I really want this to be unique. It's really fun to write it all- and I feel like squealing whenever I think about something exciting..(*sigh* Fangirl Syndrome...) Well, yeah, I'm conflicting about character deaths, but I've decided at least two of my OCs will die, and that's final. Fiiiinnal. Don't worry though- you'll get your Tskiera. But I'm not having it all hugging and snogging (ha! another rhyme!) I'll have a few stages just to make it realistic, then maybe we'll move on to that. What'd you think?**

**Nope. Didn't get touched by an revoluntion here. But I did get touched by absolute boredom- mum/mom (adopting British here and can't figure which one I like...so stay loyal to both!) is too busy and school is still sucky (I'm not going to comment about the rhyming scheme here...oops.) and we can barely get out, but she;s promised we will when the summer hols arrive. IKR? Why on Earth do people like fighting and killing so much? Why does anyone care if you're Valorian/Martian/Australlian/American/Egyptian/Arab/French/German...all the other nationalities I didn't bother to list? Why can't we all live in peace and eat ice cream? *Rolls eyes* I suppose some things can't come true, but at least we have ice cream on our side! *Slicks* CCCHOOOOCOOLATE. Sorry. Hypernavelating. I'm just really glad my stupid practical exams+ German exam are over. Ich nicht spreiche Deutsch, and I'm pretty sure I made a mistake there ):I. **

**Haha! Well, I would have read it- really, I would have. But I still have Artemis Fowl on my to-read list. My friend's obsessed with it, but I don't really trust her opinion much to be honest. She keeps suggesting stuff like, OC/PJO Character, or Percy/Clarisse instead of Percabeth! You must be grimacing now- I know right! Apparently, if someone shoves your head down a toilet, they definitely have a crush on you! Twice. A. Freakin'. Year. Wow. Ce n'est la ve, c'est mort. Death. Literal death. That's...not good. Twice an year. *Shudder* That's one hell of a writer's block!**

**Hey, be proud to be in league with Rachel and the Weasleys! **

**Me neither! Or...or, The Examining Book of Examinations? The Injuring Book of Injuries? The Cursing/Hexing/Jinxing Book of Curses/Hexes/Jinxes? Uh-Oh...**

**IKR...But they are generally better than normal quizzes. Slytherin would be my next best choice after Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff, then Gryffndor cause I'm not brave *afraid of cockroaches...and all insects in general. I never looked at butterflies the same way after that SpongeBob episode...)**

**What's ASoIAF? I know that makes me sound like an amateur, but to be fair, I've only dived into the world of reading recently.**

**Thanks!**

**-Ambs.**

**XxanimegrimreapergirlxX: Y r u apologizing for being a Slytherin? *narrows eyes and stands on a 100-metre long pedestal* Be proud to be in the house of Regulus Black! Of Severus Snape! Of many of my friends! Be proud of your green and silver robes (those clash together soooo well ;D) You probably are. Anyway *clears throat* Thank you, thank you, thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, for leaving a reviewwwwwwwwwwwwww! (Luv ur avatar!)**

**hihihehehe: Done :).**

**Loggrapes : Glad you like the sibling fluff! And yeah, hope my answer satisfied you.**

**MarissaTodd: See top o' the AN for yer answa. **

**Neon Wish: :)**

**Hailey Face: *Bows* My honor.**

**fangirl2471999: Thanks, Dennie!**


	4. Author's Warning

**So, I'm just writing this to warn you guys about something- and sorry for the confusion. See, my end-of-year exams are starting next week, and these will determine if I will pass the seventh grade or not. So let's just get something straight- don't worry if I don't update for the next three weeks. Yes, three weeks. I'll make it up to you, I promise, but please just understand how careless it would be of me to ignore my exams for the sake of fanfiction, which I can write anytime. This is not a hiatus, and this is not be abandoning anything. It's just someone taking a study break- a much needed one, too, if I want to keep in the Top 10. So...just wish me good luck, these tests are a pain.**

**(P.S, I'll try update a chapter, thought a very short one, today. But I said TRY. Don't take that for granted, please.)**

**~The Ravenclaw Ambie.**


	5. Losing My Magic

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the triology, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

_**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**_

_**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**_

_**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**_

_**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**_

_**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**_

_**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**_

**O**

_**'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**_

**Chapter 2: Summer at Privet Drive**

**Part 2: Loosing My Magic**

Leo drew back in shock as the entire cab was engulfed in red, hot flames. Alex's eyes widened, he struggled with the door from inside, the flames illuminating his face and showing his evident terror- he unlocked the door quickly and fell down at once- people were panicking, abandoning their cars or ignoring traffic to move quicker- even from where he was, Nico could hear the screams of terror, the sounds of honks...and the collision of cars.

Alex stumbled to his feet. "Ooh- Oh, what the _f-"_ Nico didn't get to hear the rest of it because Percy, in his panic and search for a water source, stumbled over him.

The flames were burning vividly, melting the fresh, white, paint, even managing to spread to _another _car. No, these flames were _defintely _not normal.

Not caring that there were screaming mortals around, and deciding he had to do what he had to do, Nico pulled out his gray wand- but he felt something that he shouldn't have felt. A strange feeling of denial coming from his core...Was this his wand? He stared fiercley at the gray patterned wand- he could almost feel the phoenix feather within it burn with power, but then...it didn't feel like his wand anymore. What was wrong?

"Percy! Nico, do something!" Leo yelled, his voice etched with panic. Leo was all but completely on fire- it seemed to Nico that he was trying to change the direction of the flames, or to set them out, kind of like he could diminish darkness at will, but the fire-controler didn't seem to be in too much control right then. Several mortals were pointing at Leo and screaming out-loud, one of them even said- "Hold on, kid! I'll save you!" But the fire-extinguisher in the man's hand didn't seem to work. People were screaming, taking out their cell-phones, yelling into them, but they seemed even more panicked after that. The flames were licking at the road casually, burning everything in sight, and even reaching the closest corner shops and apartments as well. Poeple were soon running out of the near-by buildings for their dear life, evacuating their homes, pushing and shoving and trampling each other without any care for those fallen on the ground. It was like a terrible, mega-sized bonfire.

Alex let out a yell of frustration and fear. "My cell's not working! It's not working!"

"GO!" Percy yelled at him, his eyes wild. "GO, GO GET HELP, WE'LL COME AFTER YOU!"

The barely twenty year-old man nodded quickly, and ran around the corner. The avenue was all but deserted, bar for a few screaming people a while away.

"Nico, do your hocus-pocus!" Percy yelled, as he aimlessly tried to stomp on some near-by flames. Nico snapped out of his stupor, and his eyes widened as he took in the chaos around them.

He pointed the now unfamiliar-feeling wand at the cab, yelling, "_Aguamenti!_" Nothing happened. He repeated the incantation again. Nothing. Nothing at all- not even a drop of water.

"It's not working!" Nico cried, frustrated, confused, and shocked all at once. He backed up into a store's window with Percy slowly following.

Leo was desperately concentrating on the flames, trying to find a way to control them. Percy was concentrating on another thing. His eyes were glued shut, but when he opened them- Nico could see the normally calm sea-green of the son of Poseidon's eyes raging, wild and untamed like a deadly storm in the middle of the ocean, his hands spread out. Percy let out a yell, and Nico backed away against the wall even furthur as he felt the ground shake. Leo's eyes widened- only a foot or two to his right, the ground exploded open- pieces of black and white stone from what _used _to be a part of the road showered the son of Hephaestus, and quite a few pieces struck him in the face. A deeper shade of crimson had overcome him.

But that wasn't even the _beginning- _water, the purest kind Nico had ever seen, was shooting out- ground water. Another hole exploded somewhere in the middle of the street, flowing with transparent, colorless water, too..and then another, and street, on fire barely minutes ago, was sizzling, as their eyes fell on the black ruins of everything around them. But although the flames had stopped, the ground was still shaking violently. So much, in fact, that the trio of Nico, Percy, and Leo fell to the ground. The buildings around them were crumbling too. It was to their advantage that the huge fire had caused everyone to evacuate. Percy snapped out of it, and blinked. His eyes were the same again, but filled with panic.

"PERCY!" Nico yelled as he frantically searched for where Leo was. The son of Hephaestus was sporting a bleeding lip, and his hand looked broken, but he was fine besides that. "MAKE IT STOP!"

"I'M TRYING, I CAN'T!" Percy yelled back. They simultaneously stood up as the corner shop came down completely- a nearby flat was practically dancing along with the shockwaves. Poseidon was not the god of earthquakes for nothing, and Percy seemed to realize this too late. Percy grabbed Leo, whose ankle was apparently twisted, too, by one arm and helped him up, and Nico cautiously took the other, knowing it was broken. Sure enough, Leo let out a noise of protest.

"Hold on," Nico told him as Percy nodded, the look of panic still in his eyes and...was that guilt in there, too?

"Alright," Leo grimaced, seeming to know there was no other way. "Alright then...At least it's better than bridal style. Man, that would be embarrassing."

Nico did not find Leo's joke amusing. He _had _to shadow travel them out of there. He _had _to. If he could just-

A blood-curdling scream interreupted his thoughts as he turned to see where it was coming from- a little girl who couldn't have been older than nine years was hanging by both her hands from the second floor balcony- even if she fell without managing to break both her legs, the building would collapse on her, and there would be no hope of getting her out.

Percy looked at Leo, who nodded, and like the idiotically noble demigod he was, made a move to go- but Nico didn't let him. He hastily put a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay with Leo-" he yelled over the noise as he felt the ground behind then crack- the three frantically moved to change positions, making Leo almost slip out of their grip and fall head-first into the jagged not-so-street-anymore.

Percy frowned, and opened his mouth to argue, but Nico beat him to it.

"You're stronger than me, Percy- and taller, too. You can get Leo out of here-"

"Stop treating me like some damsel in distress!" Leo said furiously. "It's just a broken hand, and a twisted ankle. I can take care of myself."

"See?" Nico said, gesturing to Leo with his free hand. "I'll have to force him, and I can't really carry him bridal style or anything." Leo looked horrified.

"Besides," he continued. "the place is about to come down. I'm probably the only one of us small enough to crawl up some space with all this debris." Loathe as he may be to admit it, it was true. Nico's complexion was smaller than most kids his age.

Percy didn't look like he was about to back down, and Nico mentally cursed his stupid fatal flaw. The girl let out another scream as one of her hands slipped- the right side of the building collapsed beside her. Nico turned to run before waiting for Percy's approval, knowing that he wouldn't leave Leo alone anyway.

"Don't die!" Percy yelled his way, as he and Leo grudgingly moved away to a park beside the building- it was the perfect spot. Nothing was likely to fall in there without them dodging, and they could watch over Nico.

Nico looked around- the entrance was blocked by rubble. He surveyed the unstable building for misplaced rocks and saw that a side wall had fallen off an apartment somewhere in the second floor, where the little girl was, and then wondered when he had gotten this reckless. He placed his foot in a place where there was no longer concrete, and used a piece of rock that was poking out for leverage to keep climbing, and so on. The building swayed dangerously, but Nico thought of the little girl a few apartments away, now trying to claw her way up, which was only partly sucessful. He finally made it to the apartment with the fallen wall, climbed his way in, and wondered if he could get to where the girl was. Furniture and everyday-items were littering the floor, scattered around it carelessly. He tried to walk through the broken door, but he fell to his knees as the place began shaking more violently. So he did the only thing he could, right then- he crawled. Crawled out of the door, and then through a narow hallway- twice, debris almost struck him. Once, it did, but only managed to slash his cheek. Another scream was issued somewhere closer to Nico, and he turned to a door some place to the left- the entrance was completely blocked, save for a very, very narrow hole just enough for him to slip through. He was suddenly very glad it wasn't Percy or Leo there. Percy was bulky and rather tall- he wouldn't have made it in. Leo, contrary to popular belief, was actually getting in a better physical shape, too. And although Nico was no sloucher, he _was _the youngest and smallest of them all, which was proven when he crawled in with little trouble.

The house-hold items and furniture, were, like everywhere else in the small flat, ruined, broken, and very hindering too. Now and then, Nico tried to get to his feet, but it was no use- he just kept falling over again. And he hated it- he hated that feeling of helplessness. He couldn't use neither his demigod, _nor _his magical powers, and it was nothing short of frustrating. Half standing, half stumbling, he staggered his way to where he remembered hearing the screams.

Broken window pieces littered the floor, injuring Nico as well as he fell upon them after a particularly harsh shove from the earthquake. He let out a small hiss, but nothing else as he took in the appearance of what used to be a veranda. Holding on to a broken piece of the destroyed balcony, the girl held on for dear life. Nico crawled, ignoring the glass piercing his flesh and the crimson now coloring his clothes.

Cautiously so as not to fall himself, he held out his hand to the girl. She looked at him with eyes filled with tears, fear, and terror and she grasped it without a second though. But it was too late-

Finally letting go, the flat swerved forward, throwing the girl, and Nico right out of the second floor balcony, and hurling them toward the ground where the rest of the jagged pieces of concrete, debris, and rubble lay.

Nico just managed to grab the tiny kid and pull her onto him so she wouldn't take any force when they hit the floor.

He waited, as the wind itself taunted him, brushing through his hair, for an impact that never really came.

He hit the ground, and felt a painful sensation beneath his back an in his right leg as he heard a sickening crack. But it didn't hurt as much as he'd expected it to. He cracked an eye open, ignoring the pain and stared at the little girl in his arms. She was unconscious, it seemed, no doubt form terror, but she was fine. _They both _were fine. Angry at fate for teasing him like that, and bemused, Nico looked up to see a shield of gold protecting both of them, and throwing off any rubble that fell upon them. And the strangest thing? As the shield faded away little by little, Nico could feel a power deep within him disperse, too. That was not how he planned for his ride to Privet Drive to go. If only he could have shadow-traveled, all these mishaps could have been avoided. Nico turned on his side, and bit his let to muffle a hiss of pain as his leg protested. But fate didn't seem like it (or rather they) wanted to give him break. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of his wand; the gray wood of the ash tree was snapped in half, and a shimmering, golden-red phoenix feather glowed mockingly for a moment before turning into black, superfluous ash itself. For a reason unknown to him, he felt sick.

Little did he know that something inside him was merging.

**Yay. I managed to update. Well, I really felt really guilty 'bout not updating. I studied early today, and then decided to update with this chapter- I'd already written most of it, so it only took me a touch around the edges. No, sorry, I can't reply to any reviews this time. Not today. But next chapter, I'll be sure to. So, the pont of this chapter isn't just making Leo, Perce, and Nico look cool. The point is emphasizing why Nico's powers are acting weird. Think- with Hecate's help, she was able to give Nico a seperate magical core. **_**Now that she's gone, **_**she isn't there to make sure it doesn't go wild, eh?**

**Whoops. Too much foreshadowing. Anyway, thank you guys for all your support- I can't wait for those darn exams to finish already! And yeah..there's bad news, too. Just did a blood-test yesterday, and guess what, I'M NOT RELATED TO PERCY! Just kidding. Anywho, I did the blood-test, and it said I have anemia. The normal blood rate/degree whatever you use to measure blood is 11.5-15.5, my rate/degree WYUSMS, is 10.2, so now mum's making me eat liver and all that Blood Replenshing stuff. Huh. I had Nico have that last book, and now I have to, too. Damn Karma. So, I need to start studying Social Science... (P.S: Yes, guys, you can have a veranda on your second floor. I think. But I've seen one that looks like a veranda, anyway.)**

**(BETA REQUEST): Guys, I seriously need a qualified beta. Really. Thanks for all the offers for help, but it's just not the same. I need someone who's experienced in this.)**

**Signing out for now,**

**~Ravenclaw Ambie**


	6. Almost There

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the triology, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

_**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**_

_**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**_

_**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**_

_**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**_

_**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**_

_**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**_

**O**

_**'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**_

**Chapter 2: Summer at Privet Drive**

**Part 3: Almost there...**

_**Earthquake at Dewhill Avenue**_

_An earthquake of intensity 8.2 has taken place in Dewhill Avenue. The shock waves caused massive destruction of property and several major and minor injuries, reports Tara Fauntell of the New York Daily. A fire was also rumored to have happened prior to this unfortunate event._

_Perhaps the most puzzling fact about this traumatic event is, it was not quite as traumatic as expected. Several injuries have occurred, even near fatal wounds, but so far not one corpse has been found, despite there being several buildings on either side._

_"This must be the strongest intensity an earthquake's ever gotten to without actually killing any human being in a mile of its proximity." says famous geologist, Richard Davidson._

_"It's quite strange, if you ask me. There weren't even any aftershocks-it all just seemed to have stopped abruptly. That's just normal." Davidson continues to the agreement of several of his partners._

_Strange though this event is, one little girl, Dina L'Amourre, who lives on the second floor of Drittany's Nights has nearly lost her life. This girl of barely nine years has a particular young man to thank for her continued existence._

_"Ronald Granger," the teenager says when asked his name. Ron Granger, another child of only thirteen years (though he has modestly tried to protest he is older) has bravely climbed up to Dina's second-floor apartment after having heard her screams. Granger and his two friends, Leonard Le Grand and Bob Underwood have contributed equally in saving Dina's, and their lives as well, showing spectacular team work by managing to drag the injured Ron and unconscious Dina to the closest one of the ambulances that had been called nearby. The trio had entrusted Dina L'Amourre and to one of the nurses and refused to climb in themselves. Dina was in shock when she woke up, but she was fine besides that._

_"There were more people who needed help than any of us," Bob, the oldest, replies when asked about this, though many of our reporters at the New York Daily protest._

_When encouraged on to explain about the situation itself, the three were noticeably hesitant to reply._

_"Well...it was really crammed in inside the building- fallen rocks and walls that fell in, too. It even caused a couple explosions-weak spots in the crust or something." Granger puts in casually._

_"It was crazy," his friend Leonard Le Grand says. "The buildings looked like they were tap dancing over our heads- everything was falling apart. I mean, it's a miracle anyone every got out of that. I'd have expected a few people to snuff it, at least."_

_Underwood has nothing to say apart from agreeing with his friends' statements._

_L'Amourre's parents wholeheartedly thank these three courageous teenagers and insist that they should have been awarded for their actions, despite them having refused accepting a reward of any kind._

_This being available to strengthen the powerful intensity of the quake, along with other agreements of witnesses, provides strong arguments about whether this earthquake is natural, or if it should be registered in the Guinness World Book of Records for the strongest earthquake with the least deaths before this is confirmed._

_The area is now temporarily out-of-bounds to citizens now out of wariness and for everyone's personal safety in case something does follow this strange event._

_In other related news..._

"Well, damn." Nico sighed, throwing the paper on his lap. Leo, who was sitting on the bed beside him, nodded grimly as his eyes scanned his own copy of the paper.

"I know, right! I'm not the only one who thinks Nico's a midget for his age." Nico glared at Leo, but he just shrugged unceremoniously.

Nico glared heatedly at the white sheets of his bed- he, Leo, and Percy were in a hotel. A five-stars one. Astonished and star-struck by their heroic actions the owner had offered to accept them there for free, for however long they wished, in his five-star hotel when he heard about their refusal to go to a hospital. His hotel had huge rooms which included a small personal clinic- there was even a little private clinic-like section, and a few nurses to dial on their brochure- apparently many victims had sheltered here, too, though Nico had absolutely no idea why they hadn't gone off to a hospital instead.

Nico's leg had been better for the most part- a little ambroisa fixed up the worst of it, though he still couldn't stand without help. Leo was infinitely better- though his arm was wrapped up in a nice cast, which he liked to grumble about because he was right handed, and despite the ambrosia, it was pretty hard to eat the fonzies he'd ordered by Room Service with his hand in a cast, and he had too much dignity to risk asking one of them for help. Percy, however, had gotten away with a few scratches, the worse of which was a gash on his arm. The water had healed most of it.

Percy looked over at his cousin- Percy looked terrible. He was pale and shaking, and his eyes were a raging storm again as he took the paper from his place on Nico's bed, skimmed over it again, and looked like he wanted to tear it apart.

"It's all my fault," Percy whispered sullenly- both Nico and Leo looked at him like he was crazy.

"Come on, man." Leo said, trying to sound cheerfully. "No one died, see? And we don't even know if its was you-"

"It _was!"_ Percy said angrily. "I _felt _it, Leo. I wasn't even trying to cause an earthquake, I just wanted some ground water."

"Exactly." said Nico, sighing. "There was _water. _You controlled the water, nothing else. I even told you to stop, and you said you couldn't. Thus, you didn't do it."

"I _lost control!"_ Percy shouted, his voice rising. Nico and Leo exchanged wary looks.

"Look, Percy," Nico said to his stubborn cousin. "You didn't. You've never summoned earthquakes without wanting to, or ever, as far as I know. You didn't loose control Percy. And besides, if you did, it would still be my fault. None of this would have happened if I-"

"Oh, don't even go there!" Leo snapped, loosing some of his playfulness. "I suggested the idea in the first place. And besides, _I _started that fire-"

"Oh, gods no you didn't!" Percy protested, his eyes flashing as he sat up straighter. "I mean-I..."

"Okay...It's all our faults and we're idiots." Nico shrugged, though he didn't really think it was true- he'd just said it to shut the other two up-he looked at Leo and Percy and saw they were equally unconvinced.

He sighed, closing his eyes and attempting to count to ten. His life sucked. Miserably, Nico's hand wandered to his pocket where his broken wand lay. He pulled it out and stared at it- the ash wood was snapped in half- hopelessly beyond repair. Its core was nothing but fragile dust particles in the shape of what was supposedly a feather. Anger filled Nico at the sight of his wand, broken.

_Why? Why _in his dad couldn't they ride a freaking cab, just to a near place so he could summon the Knight Bus...and why hadn't he summoned it earlier...Well, it was hardly appropriate to do so at Camp Half-Blood, of course, but...

"Thinking about the what ifs?" Percy asked softly, as if reading his mind.

"It doesn't do to dwell on the past while you can focus on the present." Leo said in his best gentleman voice.

Percy chuckled at that, then realized what Leo had just said and stared at him, wide-eyed while Nico blindly followed his example.

"Oh my gods, Leo, did you just quote someone?" Percy asked, gaping.

Leo blushed a deep shade of red. "Calypso likes to read old literary works," he muttered as if that explained everything.

Nico and Percy exchanged a look, then broke into fits of laughter with Leo absolutely refusing to join in on a laugh at his own expense, but he looked like he was having a hard time at it. They laughed so much- in fact, it took them quite a while to settle down again.

"So...what now?" Percy asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Don't look at me, man." Leo shrugged. "I say, we leave this hotel...after a couple more desserts from Room Service, and then ditch this town and get back to Camp after we see Nico off and then..."

"No cab rides," Percy said furiously.

"No, no cab rides." Leo agreed. "You'll call Mrs O'Leary or maybe-"

A sharp rap was heard, breaking any immediate conversation.

"Come in," Percy called.

A tweedy man with a big, goofy grin on his face in the blue uniform walked in. He was carrying an overly dusty back-pack. The three of them stared at him expectantly.

"Er-He-hello, Misters...Uh, Mr Granger, I believe this belongs to you?" he held out the pack and Nico's eyes widened in recognition- he had almost forgotten about Harry's birthday presents. But then...did they open it?!

"We found it where you supposedly landed and...we thought you'd like it back u-u-untouched." he laughed nervously as he gave Nico the backpack. Nico nodded his thanks.

"A-and, Mr. Underwood- do you know anyone by-by the name Sally Jackson, sir? She claims to be a relative of yours, but the again m-many people do that, sir."

Percy's face lit up instantly. "Oh, yeah!" But then his expression turned dark again.

-O-

Ms. Jackson was dead worried about the three of them- even though she didn't know Leo much, she knew he was a friend of Percy's, too, and apparently took an instant liking to him.

She had given Nico and Leo a fleeting hug (although a careful one, seeing how slow he was on crutches), which made him seriously reconsider whether Molly Weasley could hug harder than her or not, and then moved on to give Percy one which was much, much longer. Nico, however, couldn't help but notice that Percy's dark look still remained. Sally, however, put a hand on Percy's shoulder and whispered something to him in his ear.

"No, mom." he assured, trying for a smile. "I'm fine." Nico could see that she was not convinced, but she didn't press the matter. Nico averted his eyes, feeling he was intruding something extremely private. Leo didn't bother doing so.

In minutes, Sally had been filled in. Percy related most of everything- Leo and Nico occasionally chimed in the parts Percy had forgotten.

By the end of it, Nico had to admire Sally Jackson's patience. Her lips were thin, and her sea-blue eyes were calm and pensive, but she seemed utterly unfazed. He just had to wonder in amazement how she could deal with all that- she truly was a great person, and Percy was luckier than he knew to have her.

Sally's lips curled up in a tiny encouraging smile as she looked at Percy with dawning comprehension.

"Percy," she said softly, putting both her hands on her son's shoulders. Nearly a legal adult, Percy didn't seem to mind this much.

"You know that your father is the god of earthquakes, right? And that whatever happened at Dewhill was no normal earthquake- no deaths, and such blatant destruction. Do you really believe you could have done that, much less not deliberately?" she asked sincerely.

Percy, as if realizing this for the first time, raised his head to meet his mother's widened, and he shook his head. Sally smiled.

"Good," she breathed. "Now how's it going with Annabeth? Have you picked the-"

"Yes, mom." Percy said, blushing a tone of embarrassed red. But an embarrassed Percy was better than a miserable one.

Sally finally turned to Nico, who was feeling extremely awkward by then.

"This...Knight Bus of yours. Are you sure it'll be here? Don't you want us to see you off?" she eyed him and his crutches warily, looking very much like she wanted to stay whether he wanted or not.

"That's not necessary, Ms Jackson." Nico said. Sally rolled her eyes- Nico knew why. She had been trying to get him to start calling her Aunt Sally since he was technically Percy's cousin, but she had been unsuccessful so far. Apparently, she couldn't bother having that argument again right there and then because she let it go.

"Are you quite sure, though? I mean.."

"I'm fine..." Nico bit his lip. Maybe it was time for a little manipulation. "...Aunt Sally."

Leo grinned devilishly, looking like his birthday had come early. Nico nearly grimaced as he realized he had just provided the son of Hephaestus with new black mail material. Sally was positively beaming, but she looked like she knew what was going on inside Nico's head and shook her head at him. Percy just looked as oblivious as he always was.

But though he may have had a few reasons and used the title for persuasion, it still felt somewhat nice to say it. Not that he would admit it- Leo had too much ammo in his gun already.

Percy had dug into his pockets and given Nico two drachmas before leaving, making him swear on the Styx he would contact them if he ever needed to.

Nico sighed- as soon as the three of them disappeared from his vision once and for all. Nico felt his heart fall. Suddenly, all of it came rushing back- the shock and panic at not being able to acquire neither his demigod nor magical powers, the surprising fear of the unknown and what was to come, and the blank feeling of confusion he felt suddenly.

_Where do I go from here? _Nico found himself wondering with a frown on his face. He felt hollow once more as he cautiously pulled out his broken wand. An year...barely one at that, too, but it felt like an extra arm to him. And seeing it broken...

What was happening? Thoughts and possibilities revolved around Nico's head until he found a less busy corner and trudged to it- people were staring at him too much already, what with being the publicly brave 'Ronald Granger' (two particular sixth-year Gryffindors were going to kill him), and he wasn't sure if the Knight Bus could be seen my Muggles or not. He didn't want to risk it- too many things had happened already, and Nico didn't need more trouble as it was.

Nico shook his head, but stuck out his hand anyway, taking a deep breath and steeling himself and adjusting better on his crutches as his broken wand dangled pathetically. This was the first step to a new adventure of sorts- his first unguarded step into what was truly the unknown now. And once Nico took said step, there was no retreating.

He felt a rush of air, and could feel his hair sweeping across his face. When he opened his eyes again, he was met by what must have been the most bizarre bus ever.

**Woooh! Exam dilemma is almost over! YYEEEAHH! I can promise that by next Friday, a really satisfying 5,000 word+ chapter will be awaiting you guys! But let's remember I still haven't got time...so I will only answer review which pose questions to me!**

**In other news, raisins are not all that bad! I mean, there are a few things in life I just can't eat- paprika, onions, particularly any cooked vegetable besides potatoes *duh* and, raisins. But since I was forced to eat a few raisins, I'll admit they're not bad, though far from my favorite food!**  
**Guys. I'm officially out of chapters. I mean, I planned them all, but I have only one left- the part where Nico goes to Privet Drive and stays and blah blah... But I'll try to catch up with my writing!**

**And...eh, Ron Granger. Well, I'm a hard core Romione shipper! So..yah. Let's have ship wars!**

**Drarry: Eh...No. Really, no. 0/10**

**Deamus (Dean/Seamus) : I dunno. 3/10**

**Romione: Hell yeah! 10/10**

**Hinny: 10/10**

**Nannah (Neville/Hannah): 9/10**

**Leville (Neville/Luna) 7/10**

**Larry (Luna/Harry): The fandoms getting into my head so...5/10**

**Harmione: Er...again with the fandom. 6/10.**

**Dron (Draco/Ron): Oh my gods...no, just no. 0/100000**

**Dramone: Um...Welllll it's a guilty pleasure, umh...6 1/2 out of ten.**

**PJO:**

**Percabeth: 10/10. No more words needed.**

**Caleo: AHHH! 10000/10**

**Solangelo: Well, DUH. 10/10**

**Lazel: Eh...2/10**

**Leyna: Well, I read this one fanfic...5/10**

**Jasper and Frazel: Ten all the way!**

**Reyico: Seriously? 1/10**

**Thalico: I swear, one more...URDH! *Rips hair apart* AGGH! 0/999999999999999999999999**

**What about you guys? What's your favourite ship, and what do you think of others?**

**Special thanks to Kerowyn6 for her awesome fanart or deviantart, I really appreciate!**

_**RRs:**_

_**Princess Of Flames: Well..he couldn't summon the Knight Bus at Camp obviously, so I had him ride with Percy and Leo to somewhere he COULD. I actually really did consider calling over the had-taxi :P. But that wouldn't have worked- what happened needed to happen. Nico had to break his wand, he had to be on the news, and yadayadayada...Thanks for reviewing, anyway!**_

_**Kerowyn6 : You'll have to wait and see...:D. Yeah, thanks again, btw. And I'm afraid Nico will have to go through most of his year at Hogwarts with very few magical abilities...I mean, he didn't exactly LOOSE his power, buuuuuutt...And yeah, I searched the Beta section, sent PMs to some of them, and got no replies in return. TA-TA! Thal-ico...Uh, I actually ship it. In an alternative universe very different from this one. If you mean in this one, then Oui, je deteste Thalico. **_

_**MarissaTodd: Wait and see...:)**_

_**Thanks to all those who have supported me for my exams- I'm getting really close! I actually declined my mum's offer- I let go of a chance to visit the mall to make time to adding the final touches on this chapter.**_

_**fangirl2471999, Dragonspirit996 , Winterlover6 ...Thank you for revewing the previous Chapter.**_

_**Again, I hope I did all the characters justice in this, and I hope you enjoyed reading through! Critisim, constructive or not, is always welcome. **_

_**~Ravenclaw Ambs signing out**_


	7. The Valiant Van

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson et les Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson und die Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson wa al Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. (I'm surprised none of you complained about me having a four-language disclaimer)**

**Story setting: The second book of the trilogy, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**O**

_**'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**_

**Chapter 2: Summer at Privet Drive**

**Part 4: The Valiant Van**

Nico very warily stuffed his wand back in his pocket, a distant voice that sounded suspiciously like that of Mad-Eye Moody's yelling something such as 'Constant Vigilance!' in his head.

It was nothing like the giant, purple double-decker bus he'd expected. In fact, it was more of a van really- freshly painted white with red stripes running horizontally from the van's hood up to its boot. It's windows were a sleek see-through blue color, and a few star patterns that were embedded into to metal from inside, apparently, so they would be poking out, were literally glowing.

Leaning against the now open door was a woman with a white and baby-blue suit, her brown hair tucked under a captain's hat. She couldn't have been older than thirty-something. Her matching boots only made the uniform look even more classy, making Nico suddenly feel way to self-conscious about his less than matching clothes underneath his aviator jacket.

"Well, well," the lady said with a southern accent, her eyebrows shooting upwards as she took in Nico's appearance. "You aren't a witch."

"Am I...supposed to be one?" Nico asked, feeling rather stupid. "I mean, I just thought I'd call the Knight Bus and-"

The woman snorted in a very un-lady like manner, making her suit seem less fitting.

"You crazy, kid?" she asked. "You can't summon the Knight Bus all the way from Britain! Just like you can't call the Summer Submarine from Brazil, or the Curiousity Chrash-Rider from Nepal. I mean, do you expect them to ignore all those desperate passengers who need to be somewhere and just ride here? It's an hour's drive from America to London, for Godzilla's sake!"

"I didn't know," Nico tried to defend himself. "And what was that about me being a witch, anyway?"

"Most Americans here study in Salem's Witches Institute," she explained patiently. "As you can guess, it's for witches. Wizards either study somewhere else, in another country, or go to other schools which are less prestigious in America. We rarely see any wizards 'round here, though there."

"Oh," Nico said, feeling awkward. "But I can...you know, still take the bus to Britain?"

The lady thought about this for a second.

"I don' see why not," she said finally. "It's summer anyone. Most witches 'round here are waiting for their book-lists to arrive. My daughter hasn't got hers yet. So I don't think many people would be interested in going to Aieronaut Alley."

"Excuse me?" Nico asked dubiously, his eyes bulging. The lady rolled her eyes at his lack of knowledge about the American wizarding community.

"Ah, come on." she sighed. She brought out a long wand and helped Nico levitate all that he'd thought to bring (which wasn't much. Harry's probably destroyed birthday presents and a few changes of clothes) onto the van. She then helped Nico climb the short amount of steps, what with the crutches and all. (He hated how he needed to be helped just for that.)

It was a lot more simple inside than outside, though magically expanded to look larger- several red seat that looked a lot like the kind you'd find in an air-port waiting room (he'd seen them himself after a long incident involving three hellhounds, a packet of skittles, and one sugar-drunk demigod), but with bleached belts hanging on either side. Once he settled down and the lady (who he now saw had a badge that said 'Patricia Vishawls') shrunk his crutches, she put them in his backpack and told him they'd return to their normal sized once he touched them. When Nico reached for the belts, he noticed that they had several letters in bold on them, which read **'BRACE YOURSELVES. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.' **Then, in miniscule letters, '_**Staff on the Valiant Van are not responsible for any injuries, deaths, or decapitations.' **_He briefly wondered if they were serious before deciding he didn't want to know and fastening his own belt just in case. But then...Nico nearly gasped- but didn't. Did he just _read _that? But didn't he have dyslexia? He glanced back at the words. They definitely weren't in Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, or Latin. They were English. Was there was charm on the words that made them more readable, or was it something else. No, it had to be the former. That was the only way to explain it.

Nico turned his attention to his surroundings again. The driver was an old lady her fifties- she wore the same uniform as Patricia.

"Fifteen dlynts for a ride that long, sixteen if you're interested in buying an 'I heart VV hat'."

Nico shook his head in rejection. He had no idea what dlynts were, nor did he have any, though he thought it wise not to mention this. He just hoped mortal money would do.

"So, what's your name, then?" Patricia questioned, sitting on a short bar than divided the driver's seat from the passenger's side, her legs propped and crossed over it. "You obviously don't know anything about American Magical-Culture, though you seem to be from here."

"Ronald Granger, and I go to a school in Britain." Nico answered, sticking firmly to his new alias. Patricia's eyes widened.

"Ooh, you're the one that rescued the lil' girl!" she said excitedly, her face lighting up immediately. "Ooh, Mr Granger, forget what I said about the dlynts- heroes ride for free- did you hear that, Iggy? We've got Granger in our fan!" The older woman as excited about this as a child, considering her age. Nico blushed an uncharacteristic shade of red- he didn't like being thanked for saving someone who would have died because of him anyway, no matter what Percy or Leo said.

The driver-lady, Iggy as it seemed, gave a barely audible, utterly unenthusiastic, "Mhmm."

"Don't mind old Ignatura," Patricia whispered jubilantly. "She's barely happy 'bout anything. But say, y'all are welcome here anytime! You and your pals, I mean. Hey, d'you mind telling every wizard you come across that you've been on the Valiant Van? Man, I didn't even know you lot were wizards!" she said frantically.

"It's...nothing." Nico said, feeling more awkward by the second. Patricia was about to say something else, but Ignatura cut her off, sighing and not turning away from the steering wheel.

"Listen here, Patricia Eloise Vishawls. You are a married woman and the mother of two children, and I expect you to act like it. I will not hesitate to give you the good-old smacking, but it would be greatly appreciated if you refrained from forcing me to use the cane on a thirty-five year-old."

Nico was too weirder out to laugh, but Patricia just blushed a shade of red like this was a normal occurrence and sank down into a seat muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Yes, mom."

Ignatura apparently pressed something because the entire van began to shake- and then they rushed forwards.

oOo

Having Annabeth as a friend meant many things for a certain son of Hades. Some positive, some negative. One of the positive reasons included knowing exactly what inertia was.

At first, Nico literally felt like his face was being ripped to piece- as if he was in a large electric blender that kept spinning and turning corners. After nearly five minutes of this torment, the feeling changed into a slightly less unpleasant one.

He could literally feel the wheels of said bus abandoning the ground and taking off into the sky. And then, something even more terrifying happened. Nico's surroundings literally faded away- camouflaging perfectly with the sky. All that was left was him, sitting there, at least fifty feet above the ground and apparently on thin air. The only other things that remained were the white stars of the Valiant Van which were still glowing as if someone put a portable-lumos on them. He stared at Patricia with horror-filled eyes. The woman was laughing whereas Ignatura was either completely oblivious to the change in the appearance, or lack thereof, of the VV, or she just couldn't care less. Even her steering wheel had disappeared.

"Isn't it amazing?" Patricia whispered to him excitedly. "I barely get to use this property because we never actually have to fly." Nico looked down and saw the buildings bellow them, tiny and so, so far away. He even saw a blue stretch of water that was most definitely a river. They were _so _high up. And he was sitting there. Right above all this- surely to fall any second now because there was nothing seemingly solid below him. It was not amazing in any way, shape, or form.

He gripped the sides of his seat as panic shot through him. His breaths quickened, and he found it a lot harder to breathe. He closed his eyes to control the sudden fear off.

_Don't think about falling off. Don't think about breaking every bone in your body after the van crashes. Don't think about being fried with a bold of lightning don't...Well, hell of good that did._

To keep himself from being paralyzed with fear, he kept asking Patricia questions with his eyes closed. Why there were 'staff' as in, plural written on the belts, when she and her mother were the only ones there that day? What was that spell that made the stars glow? Wouldn't the muggles notice three people sitting on thin air? And why was there only one main wizardry school in most countries. She answered his questions with obvious enthusiasm.

She replied that most of the staff had taken the summer hols off and that her mother had always worked here, thus dragging her into the job to make sure he mom didn't intimidate their passengers away, which would no doubt make their sponsors mad. Nico couldn't tell if she was being serious with that or not. Then she told him that the lights illuminating the stars were, indeed, a sort of portable-lumos spell. She told him the incantation was _Retracto Luminata, _but it was complicated because you had to use two wands to do it- one to magically light with a simple 'lumos' and the other to extract the light itself with the Retracto Luminata she went on to tell him that, of course, the muggles wouldn't notice them because there was a slightly altered Disillusionment charm on the van, and they were invisible to anyway as long as they stayed inside it. She finally told him that there were a lot more Muggles than magical folk, and since there were about 196 muggle countries in the world, one school per country was actually pretty good.

He didn't know how long it lasted, and how many questions he asked behind his lids before he heard Ignatura ask him where exactly in Britain he wanted to go. He told her he would very much like to get off at Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.

Much to his relief, they were landing slowly, but gradually. The walls of the Valiant Van faded into few again, but the next three words Patricia spoke up three words he had come to hate.

"Hold on tight!" She ran and took her own seat, fastening the belt. This made Nico realized what was going to happen next, and he had no time to brace himself as he felt the skin-being-torn-out sensation all over again.

And that, dear readers, is how Nico ended right on the door step of Number Four, horribly dizzy on his crutches.

**OMG. I love doing this to you guys. I just love cliffies. Whether they be comical of suspending, I just love them. Thanks, all of you for participating in ship-wars! I loved all your opinions. So I'm still too busy to answer your reviews, but I will do that next chapter, or my name won't be GAROUFJDKTIRRRNSSSOOOI. Which it is not, fortunately. Anyway, I really felt like there were several magical cultures beside the British one, and I felt the need to emphasize this in this particular chapter. So..yeah. Dlynts= Galleons, and I made Patrcica act like how I do when I'm around Grandma. Man, that lady can be scary!**

**Love,**

**AbushImagine**


	8. Perfect, Perfect, Privet Drive

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the triology, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

_**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**_

_**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**_

_**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**_

_**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**_

_**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**_

_**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**_

**O**

_**'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**_

**Chapter 2: Summer at Privet Drive**

**Part 5: Perfect, Perfect, Privet Drive.**

Nico swore never to take the Valiant Van ever again if he could help it. Now his ehead was spinning and he had his eyes shut tight. After the nausea and dizzy spell passed, he took a deep, calming breath and opened his eyes to properely survey Privet Drive. You could barely tell that The-Boy-Who-Lived resided here. The neighbourhood was perfectly normal, which, in Nico's eyes, made it also perfectly boring. The houses were identical, and had Nico not been standing right in front of it, he would have had a hard time recognizing number four. The front yards of every house were perfectly trimmed and even, not a weed in sight. Nico immediately disliked the place- he knew his ADHD would torture him to no end before long.

As he trudged toward the door, he pondered. Nico didn't honestly know what he expected- Ginny and the rest spoke of Number Four, Privet Drive, like it was a terrible place. His crazy dmigod imagination kept bringing up dark alleys where punks and goths were scattered around the area, looking menancing, or some sort of bloody torture chamber. He had known these figments weren't true, but he honestly wasn't expecting somewhere so...normal. So maybe it was its inhabitants that made it a terrible place. Now that, he had expected. He reembered the sour look on Ginny's face as she spoke of the Dursleys, and the determined look on both Weasleys' and the Order's faces when they told him he'd be out of there soon.

In a moment of inspiration, Nico had decided to come to Privet Drive, 'protect him' and perhaps keep him some company, too. Now, he was reluctant.

_Well, no going back now. _he thought as he rang the bell.

Behind the door, he heard heavy footsteps make their way toward him. In a matter of seonds, the door was opened, and Vernon Dursley stood in front of Nico.

He wasn't very different from when Nico had last seen him- expect maybe a dozen pounds heavier. He still wore one of his painfully boring business suits (did that guy wear it all the time?) and he looked as annoyed as ever. He took in Nico's appearance as if to judge if he was someone of importance or not, then looked at him and grunted. Apparently, he didn't recognize Nico.

"Blimey," Vernon gasped. Well...he did. "You're the Ronald Granger boy on the news, aren't you?" he asked enthusiastically.

_How fast do news travel, today? _he thought, utterly not amused.

"Oh, no." Nico decided. Dursley would probably figure out he was magical and start spewing things about how he caused the earthquake (which wasn't really a lie).

"I'm his twin brother Nico." he said. Vernon would be stupid if he fell for that. If Nico's crutches weren't a dead give-away, he didn't know what else was.

"Well, how can I help you, then?" he asked, his expression bored again.

"I'm here about your nephew-" immediately, the senior Dursley's expression turned sour.

"That _freak?" _he spat, looking revulsed. Nico felt disgust rise up in his chest. How could he refer to his nephew as such? He was beginning to understand just why everyone was wary of the Dursleys.

"Is he in trouble?" Vernon sneered.

Nico answered with what he though was a rational response. "Oh, yes. A lot of trouble. Erm, they say I have to, uhm, watch him so he doesn't uh...do magi-"

_**DON'T SAY THAT WORD UNDER MY ROOF!" **_he roared, and then immediately panicked and scanned the street for any neighbours. Nico swallowed his rage and continued. "...so he doesn't do it. Here. Again." In truth, Nico had no idea whether Harry ever cast magic at Privet Drive, but he fainly remembered Susan Bones of Hufflepuff saying something about him casting a Patronus there last year at the DA meeting in the Hog's Head.

Vernon sneered again. "You're one of _them, _aren't you boy? Well, no, I'm not having any more freaks in my home, the boy's enough of a burden."

Nico couldn't take it anymore. He lost his self-restraint and threw a full-forced glare at the senior Dursley, filling it with malice and hatred.

"Harry Potter is very important in the wizardring world, Mr Dursley." he said in a dangerously low voice. "Very, very important. Most people would jump at his custody if they could. If you would be patient and accept our terms, he'll be out of your home before he turns seventeen." Nico hated that he was uncertain of this more than he hated the look of glee on Dursley's face. He knew that the age of adolence in the wizardring wolrd was seventeen, and he knew that Harry hated the Dursleys with a passion, so he'd probably leave their home as soon as he had a say in the matter, but he wasn't sure.

"The freak will leave next year if we let you in?" Dursley demanded increduluously.

"Yes," Nico answered, not truly knowing. Nevermind, though. Dumbledore would sort it out if not.

Vernon grunted once more, then reluctantly stepped aside for Nico, not bothering to help him with his crutches.

"No hocus-pocus." Dursley warned, and Nico rolled his eyes. How did Harry tolerate ten years of this guy and his family? Nico had known him for about half a minute and he was going insane already.

The interior of number fur was even more unsettling than the exterior. Everything was..._perfect. _He swore there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Even Sally Jackson, who liked keeping a clean and organized home as much as the next person, didn't go to this extent.

"His bedroom's upstairs. Second door on the right." grunted Dursley as Nico looked at the stairs warily. _Does he seriously expect me to climb those with crutches?_

He cleared his throat, hoping Dursley caught up. He huffed in irritation, though Nico thought it should be him complaining. He didn't enjoy asking that whale for help, and swallowing his dignity was definitely hard. He was beginning to understand Annabeth and her hubris.

"_Potter! Come done here." _yelled Dursley. There was a moment of awkward silence between them, and then, Nico heard another set of footsteps, though much lighter this time and no like godzilla.

Harry stopped climbing the stairs when he stopped Nico. His jaw dropped.

"You're in trouble with your lot again." Vernon Dursley told him at an attempt to see his nephew in misery. But Harry was too shocked to care.

With that having been said, he left without looking back, most likely to tell his wife of the good/bad news.

Harry numbly made his way down to Nico, eyeing his crutches with a curious expression. He tilted his head to the side in question.

"Long story." Nico said shortly, trying his best to shrug. "So...er, how are things?"

"Weird." Harry answered short, before putting Nico's right arm around his shoulders awkwardly and starting to help him up the stairs.

"You have a lot to tell me," he said to Nico while doing so.

-O-

To say Harry was shocked at Nico's sudden appearance was the understatment of the century. Why was he here? So was Dumbledore really coming to pick him up? He hadn't packed!

Harry was quickly starting to panic before he remembered something Nico told him last summer at the station.

_Expect a little more company this summer._

So maybe Dumbledore _wasn't _coming?

Harry took in Nico's state. He inwardly winced- the necromancer had a pretty bad broken leg, and was supporting himself on crutches that he seemed uncomfortable with. His eyes shone with a strange sort of light...like he was planning someone's brutual murder in his head.

He helped Nico up the stairs and led him to Dudley's second room where he laid him down.

"Start with the long story?" Harry offered when they got there.

"My relatives and I were riding a cab through New York and then one of them accidentally set the entire street on fire and then there was an earthquake and I climbed up a collapsing building, fell, broke my wand, stayed at a hotel with my relatives and probably consumed half their food, rode on a chameleon van with portable-lumos stars to Britain, and got introduced to your less-than-pleasant Uncle who expected me to magic myself up the stairs with crutches."

Harry stared at him blankly. Nico stared right back.

"Oh-kaaay.." Hary trailed off, watching Nico increduluously. "Maybe you should lie down a bit and tell me later then."

Nico smirked. "That would be appreciated. Perhaps shuffling through your birthday presents."

"_What? _But my birthday's sort of...over." he said, unsure of whether Nico knew this or not.

"I know." Nico said, shrugging. "Belated birthday presents then."

"Well, you really needn't have-"

"Don't feed me that styx." Nico said, rolling his eyes. He shrugged off his backpack and shoved it in Harry's direction. "You can look at them while I go into more detail. of my longer story."

**TA-DA! Gods, he's finally at PRIVET DRIVE! WOOOH! And Vernon is an ass. Figures.** **I'll try not to make Dudley that bad though. I don't hate him. I mean, he's no where near my favorite character, but he's not bad.**

**Ok, here's more shipwars!:**

**Pereyna: Uh...no. 1/10**

**Perlia: 0.O 0.10**

**Perachel: Well, I did ship them for a short while. 4/10**

**Jasico: I love the bromance, but I don't mind the pairing it the fanfic is good 6/10**

**Jeyna: I'm sorry, but no. Really, people need to accept that Jason just doesn't like/fancy (I'm starting to love British writing) Reyna. No, Piper did NOT 'steal' Jason from Reyna. He jsut never had any romantic feeling towards her.**

**Dwen (Dakota/Gwen): Ooh, yeah! 10/10**

**Hellie or Medge (Mellie/Coach Hedge): 10/10 aww...**

**Percico: No. Really, I just don't like that pairing. 0/10. They just don't fit.**

RRS:

ARandomFangirler : Thanks! That really means a lot.

Kerowyn6: Hello, Awesome-Girl-Who-I-Want-To-Impress! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter- I just felt it made sense, really.

Guest: Forgot Reyna and Thalia how?

: Thanks!

Neon Wish: Thanks!

Dragonsblue: Thanks!

Guest : Teehee...been there, done that!

Kerowyn6: Bri will come again this year. Don't worry.

Guest: Well, hello, house mate!

fangirl2471999: Well, here's this chapter to answer some questions! No, Nico goes to Privet Drive with the pure intention of keeping Harry company, no, I don't ship Drarry. I know Draco is not really evil, but Harry's just too good for him. No, really. He doesn't deserve him, in my opinion. I just don't understand why people like pairing people who positively hate each other. Anyway, thanks for leaving a review!

ARandomFangirler: Thanks! That really means a lot to me. Lols. I'm glad people are giving me their opinions on this ship wars thing. Just tell people your real age so you can laugh at them later when you're famous and important for not taking you seriously in your younger years. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Kay, so I'm gonna be in my eight grade next Sept 21 (WOOHOOO! FIVE MONTHS OF HOLIDAY!)

Princess Of Flames: I don't ship Renyica cause...well, it's not cannon. I have a thing for cannon pairings. But I LOVE Reynico bromance...and I also don't generally like pairing where the guy is younger than the girl. With Percabeth, it's okay cause it's only a few months, but Reyna is nearly sixteen and Nico barely 14 at that time, so yeah. Anywho...thanks for leavin' a review!

Risa Silvara: WOOH, YOU GO GIRL! I see Nico and Percy as best bros too. I just honestly don't hate Ron. I don't know why people dislike him- yes, he's thick, yeah, sure, he's insensitive, but he's...RON. That's just how his character is. He's impatient, thick, and sometimes really insensitive, but let me just say that if I had these qualities and was in his place, I would have done the same thing. I mean, the true point isn't that he left, but that he CAME BACK. That takes real courage- coming back after making a mistake. He stuck with Harry when everyone though he was the heir of Slytherin in CoS, didn't wear a 'Potter Stinks' badge. So yeah, he was kind of blunt and stupid, but everyone's allowed a moment like this. As for Hermione...Oh just don't get me started about how AWESOME she is...I mean...she's just...Amazing. Perfect. I love Hermione and I adore Neville. As for Nico's wannndddd...*mischevious grin* Just you wait, Risa. Just you wait. *evils cackle*

Finwitch1: Percy sensed the water he was controlling, not the earthquake :). Thanks for leaving a review!

Lukas: YESSS GLAD I MET SOMEONE WHO AGREES! I'm an Aries...That's what people who're born in March are, right? Meh. Yes, RIP indeed, Nico! *evil cackle*

Winterlover6 : Thanks!

XxanimegrimreapergirlxX: LOLZ. I love insanlyness, my good ma'am.

Phoebethehuntres: Merci madmoiselle :) THHAAANKS!

: HA. I'm too evil to Nico for them NOT to find out.

MarissaTodd: Ooh, yeah. Thanks for the ship-wars participation!

**THANKS TO ANYONE WHO KEPT UP WITH SHIP-WARS!**

_**What house are you guys in on Pottermore?**_

_**"'m a Ravenclaw I like to read books, and when I cast spells they're off the freakin' hook!"**_

_**-Ministry of Magic (I love that band!)**_

_**Suggestions for Fanfics: A Son of Death at Hogwarts is worth a read. So is 'Recnac Transfaero by Celebony (I cried!) and 'Demigods for Parents' by AnnabethJacksonPiperGrace. **_

_**Love,**_

_**-Ambs**_

_**(P.S, YES, I know it's short, but mum's bugging and telling me to go to sleep. Sorry. *Sheepish grin*)**_


	9. The Confrontation of Dudley Dursley

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the triology, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**

**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**

**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**

**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**

**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**

**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**

**O**

**_ 'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince_'**

**Chapter 2: Summer at Privet Drive**

**Part 5: The Confrontation of Dudley Dursley**

It was weird at first- but they got through it- Harry was fascinated and confused- Nico could tell that his favorite gift so far was the tele-hats. They were two baseball hats- one Yankees, and one Red Sox. If two people put them on, they were supposed to communicate telepathically.

It was awkward at best, really, and Nico knew Harry had a hard time believing these were sincere gifts and not people actually sucking up because he was the Boy-Who-Lived (what was _with_ wizards and their hyphens?), but he was tactful enough not to point that out to Nico's face.

Harry was a little less cheerful than Nico remembered him last May. He was more silent and barely spoke if not spoken to. Sirius' death had left a definite impact on him. He wouldn't have noticed if he were anybody else- but being himself, he spotted the slightly blank looks, the wistful lights in his eyes and the slightly slouched body language that indicated he was still grieving somewhat. Nico couldn't imagine the Dursleys had been much help comforting him- not that he himself would try. He knew this stage- it was a period where you wanted to be left alone to your personal thoughts and pretty much want everyone else to stay out of it. It was almost...posessivness, really. Kind of like saying it was your anger, your grief, your depression, and no one else's. When the unfairness of the situation took its toll on people, it made it even harder to accept what happened did, in fact, happen.

But he let Harry wallow in his own thoughts. Over-thinking was better than burying yourself in self pity.

Harry and he had battled over the beds for the first few moments- Harry had insisted Nico take his, until Nico discovered the dear Dursleys had a guest room and generously invited himself over there- if it infuriated the Dursleys, then, well, it was like killing two stymphalian birds with a stone.

The crutches were another problem- Harry, stupidly noble as he was, insisted on helping Nico in every way possible until he threatened to set Mrs Weasley on him by saying he wasn't eating well that summer. Harry looked horrified and immediately let Nico have his way.

The only thing that made Privet Drive bearable at best, Nico mused, was Harry. If he hadn't had the Boy Who Lived to talk to, he probably would have crawled under one of the Dursleys' perfectly spotless bed floors and died of agonizing boredom.

But of course, great friend though he was, Harry was also terrible at many things. This proved when Nico had given Harry his own chosen gift (after a lot of stuttering and blushing), a mythomagic set. It was, of course, animated. Nico had animated it himself (the spell was difficult) before his magic went crazy.

Harry was trying- he really was. Nico would give him that- but he was still a complete amateur. The son of Hades himself had expected to be rusty after not playing mythomagic for years, but he was surprisingly still good at it. He still had no idea what promoted him to suddenly buy his childhood game of choice for Harry. But he didn't question the strange feeling and contented to pushing it to the back of his head as he murdered Harry in mythomagic again. Surprisingly, he was taking it quite well.

"No," Nico hissed at Harry. His hand instinctively shot away from the Ares card he was planning to use.

"Ares is a fire warrior- you can't put him in with your elemental deck- it'll make it unstable and I can easily pick a water goddess, say, Kymophelia, and pwn you in less than a second."

"You're just as bad as Ron." Harry complained. "I can't beat you in this. It's not fair."

Nico couldn't help but smirk a little at that. "You'll learn. No- what the- Harry, don't touch that one!"

* * *

Things went on and on that way. Nico was pleased to note that he barely had to talk to anyone of the Dursleys- even for food. Mrs Jackson's blue cookie stock was more than appetizing enough, though it wasn't exactly a very healthy meal. Adding to it Nico's private stack of Reese's cups, he was bound to be a bit high on sugar at some point.

The Dursley's ignored Nico for the better part- but he found it hard to ignore them. Every time he glanced at Vernon Dursley and saw him throwing a nasty look at Harry, he felt pure waves of rage roll from him- he hadn't felt anything like that since Umbridge, and it made his head pound. It was funny- he had thought Hecate had something to do with it, but since his magic seemed to have leaked out along with his demigod powers, he was beginning to doubt it.

Petunia Dursley was different- she would sniff in a superior manner and look down on anything she disliked, but Nico knew that there was just _something _ about her. He couldn't tell what. She seemed like the Asphodel kind of person- though he couldn't be sure. He couldn't sense _her _emotions.

A week into his little visit at the Dursleys, Nico would make up his mind about Dudley Dursley.

He was just starting to walk (or not) out of the Dursley's squeaky-clean bathroom. Ugh. It was like they were trying to win the 'Most-Frustratingly-Clean-House' award. It was plainly and pompously clean, so much that it looked like they were purposely showing off.

While Nico was on his way out, he bumped into Dudley Dursley (or more likely Dudley bumped into him, since he was about four times Nico's size and there was no way that could have been avoided, pushing the crutches aside).

Nico surveyed the youngest Dursley up and down before shrugging, which was the closest thing to a gesture of apology he could bring himself to offer- he disliked Vernon and Petunia, and if they brought up Dudley, there was no way he turned out to be a kind soul.

"Er, er, ah...um, you're the Nico Granger bloke?" Dudley asked quickly.

_Subtle_, Nico thought simply. "And you're Dudley Dursley. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Not. He made to move around Dudley, but the huge brute looked panicked.

"No!" he yelped, which surprised Nico so much that he actually did. "No..wait...Um, you're one of his kind, r-r-right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nico questioned calmly, narrowing his eyes in a glare. It must have been intense because Dudley's bottom lip actually trembled slightly.

"N-no, I didn't mean it that way- honest! I just meant, um, well, well- could you...could you maybe tell him something?"

"Him who?" Nico continued coldly, knowing perfectly well who Dudley meant and not seeing where this was going.

"H-him." Dudley continued, his face blank. "Y-you know, my cousin. Harry. Harry Potter."

Nico was actually amused at this point by the confuzzled look on the junior Dursley's face.

"So?"

"Could you tell him, I'm, well, tell him that...erm...I think...Er, that it's good he saved my life and..." Dudley swallowed, seemingly gulping down his dignity as well. "Thank you." he squeaked out. "Can you tell him thank you?"

Nico studied Dudley's face for a few seconds. And at that moment, he could feel his emotions, too- they were a mixture of embarrassment, determination, slight fear, reproachful feelings, and a sprinkle of hope on top. But he looked honestly sincere about his request. Nico, however, already had his answer ready.

"No." he said flatly, though with less coldness in his voice.

Dudley's expression was priceless. Like someone had actually brought Leo that flaming electric saw he wanted and he was now ripping things apart while wearing a baseball hat. And to Nico, it was nothing short of hilarious. He had a hard time schooling his emotions, and even then, he thought he must have let at least a small smile grace his lips.

"Why?" Dudley asked, looking a bit angry now at being told 'no' after he had asked so very nicely.

"Because you're the one who wants to thank him." Nico answered slowly, as if he were explaining this to a three-year-old.

"Bu-but-"

"What?" Nico asked, his tone cold again, though only at hope to seem intimidating. It worked.

Dudley jumped and looked at Nico like he was going to sprout fangs and suck his face out. Nico couldn't help but enjoy this immensly.

"I-I don't want-"

"It was always all about what you don't want and what you do want, wasn't it." Nico asked smoothly, his tone emotionless this time. "You need to stop being dependent- everything you want in life, Dursley, you don't get. I'm not going to stand here and give you a lecture on the finer morals in life, but if you want this apology of yours to mean a darn at all, you have to say it yourself."

Dudley was stunned speechless, though Nico's words seemed to sink in after a few moments. He gulpd in anticipation this time, and bit his fat lip. Nico trudged around him before strolling (or as much as he could stroll with crutches) back into Harry's room like he had never confronted Dudley at all.

* * *

**This is the **_**last **_**Summer at Privet Drive chapter. YAAAAY! Well, hel-lo everyone! So, I felt like I had to thank ALL my amazing reviewers.**

**But I want to tell you guys something- d'you know those authors that go all 'be nice 'cus this is my first/thousandth fanfic, and don't flame me? Here's what I say- FLAME ME! Burn my work and shred it to pieces with your sharp, blood-drawing words. Demolish my writing and help me do it again, making it much, much, more beautiful and strong and based than before. Because if you don't love haters, there's something wrong with you.**

**And oh, yeah, guys, please re-read the first chapter of NAH: Year 5. I've re-written it and I think it'll have quite a bit of information you guys need to know. Thanks!**

**In other news, here are my top ten reviewers- don't fet me wrong, I appreciate all of you commenting on this, but these ten people made me feel nothing short of AMAZING and happy when I read their reviews, so I just want to give them this as a tiny thank-you gesture.**

**TOP 10 REVIEWERS!**

**1- Kerowyn6: She's just amazing. I feel like her sarcastic, witty way of telling me when she doesn't like something makes my day and enhances my writing. No, seriously. This girl is wonderful. You're awesome, Kero- hear that?**

**2- Princess of Flames: PoF is just...well, plain awesome. I love her. She's funny, supportive, and amazing. Thought PoF doesn't flame much, I feel her reviews are honest and sincere, which I always aim for. So thanks for being there, Princess of Flames! And she never misses a chapter. Never.**

**3- Daughter of Demeter (The Hufflepuff): She didn't review much- I dunno. She's eleven- school's got to be tough on her. Sixth grade can be hard *shrug*. But I feel comfortable with in general- like I'm talking to a friend. She's sweetly hyper and I await her reviews constantly.**

**4-Lukas: Ok, so I only got two recent reviews from him. But his reviews make my day. Honestly. Lukas, you're hilarious, and you're supportive- that's totally awesome.**

**5- Alealea: I don't have much to say besides how supportive and exciting you are- I appreciate how you try to leave reviews at every chapter- you're doing great so far! Thank you ever so much for that!**

**6- Hunter of Aretmis- Ok, apart from the awesome name, HoA is also a naturally supportive reviewer and I enjoy HoA's reviews and await them constantly- they're exciting and fun to read!**

** : Polite, understanding, and patient. Who wouldn't love you, Haylee? Not me, obviously! Though short, her reviews give me comfort and make me smile. So thanks for that!**

**8- ARandomFangirler: The name. Enough said. Lol. The amount of encouragment in 'WOOT! Go Ambie! Best Story Ever!' (which is but an example) is surprising.**

**9- Finwich: His/her reviews are quite amusing. Really. I just find that I enjoy them immensly. You go, Finwich!**

**10-Winterlover6: One worded review have a great amount of smile-bringers hidden behind. **

**Thank you, all of the above. And, of course, everyonewho reviews, I appreciate you guys a lot, too. But I just wanted all of you guys to realize that you make my day. In fact, every reviewers does. **

**In other news, I had a dream which I sincerely hope isn't prophetic- I was riding a plane with my family. The plane crashed-...right in front of a fast food resturant beside a gas station. Like any sane person would after a crash, I walked out curiously, unscatched and unharmed, into the resturant. For some reason, I entered the lady's bathroom where I found a slightly chubby girl trying to suicide by flushing herself down a toilet. For some **_**strange, mysterious **_**reason, it didn't appear to be working. I asked her why she was trying to kill herself and she told me it was because her friend was suiciding, also. So I asked her why not stop her friend from suiciding instead of following in her footsteps and she gave me this look that said, 'Y'know...I hadn't thought of that.'**

**Yes, I swear that everything you just read was true. I swear it by Merlin and on the river styx. Now thought 50 % of you are either laughing your rears off or gaping at the screen and trying to figure out if what you read is actually there, but I have to end this ridiculously long AN with my review replies for the previous chapter-**

**RRs**

**Kerowyn6: Really? I hope he's not too OOC. I just hate it when people make Nico look like a flip-out goth. But oh well, angry Nico's coming out soon :).**

**Lukas: O my gods, Lukas, that had me laughing so hard! Well, its impressive how you and your friends can get along without burning each other down. Amazing, really. Yes, hey, whaddya say you and I go and arrange Nico's funeral, eh? What flowers do you think are his favorite? I'll pick- you can write his euology.**

**Dragonsblue: Thanks :)**

** : Ah...understanding and sweet as always! Well, sure! The two missing review replies are ...well, the first is...*drum rolls* YOU! YAAAY! Sorry, but my chapters seem kinda laggy and the names keep disappearing sometimes. The second one, is...well, it's funny really, but I can't find out who...weird. Oh, well.**

**Princess of Flames: Oh, yeah, Harry will laugh his rear off...**_**when **_**he finds out. Omg, the Muggle-Borns at Hogwarts...lol. I'm going to be having tons of fun later on!**

_**That's it for today, y'all! Peace out...**_

_**(P.S: So many people were saying twilight was better than Harry Potter that I decided to give it a chance. I've read through the first 30 or so pages, you want my opinion? Well, yeah... Sorry, twihards, but I still prefer Harry Potter more. I've never been much of a romantic, anyway. And Bella is a bit...whiny.)**_

_**-Ambs**_


	10. Leaving

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the triology, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**

**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**

**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**

**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**

**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**

**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**

**O**

** 'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**

**Chapter 3: The Sixth Year Prefect**

**Part 1: Leaving**

"That's not fair!" Harry yelled indignantly. "I build my deck for fifteen minutes and you blow it all away with one card- that's it, I'm giving up."

Nico scowled at him. "Not my fault you hadn't had to listen to your cousin's girlfriend go on about how 'even power must bow down to wisdom sometimes'."he said flatly as he watched his Athena card thoroughly kicking all of Harry's deck in the rear. An Aeolus holographic- figure from Harry's wind deck was now running around indignantly with one of Athena's spears sticking in his bottom. Harry winced at the state of his cards.

"As much as it's fun to play a magical game during summer- which the Dursleys will no doubt kill me about if they ever find out -I'm not going to continue like this. You're cheating!"

Nico coughed to hide his indignation and shock at the bland accusation. "Sour grapes," he coughed again.

Harry muttered something about Ron, Nico, and a huge bonfire.

"Did you pack your trunk?" Nico asked casually as he arranged the cards back dutifully.

"No," Harry admitted. "I don't want to get my hopes up. Dumbledore may not-"

"Don't give me any crap, Harry. Seriously. Dumbledore's probably going to end up showing up and embarrassing the hell out of you. I'm speaking from experience."

"Easy for you to say," Harry shot back firmly. "It's not your trunk you're packing."

"Procrastination?" Nico asked sympathetically.

Harry nodded with a mock-sad look, before smiling. "I'll pack it later. In fact, today."

"You've been saying that for the past week." Nico stated bluntly. Harry looked sheepish because what Nico had said was, of course, true. The past week had bored Nico out of his insane ADHD (or not...His dyslexia was gone, and his ADHD seemed to have disappeared along with it) demigod mind.

It had become sort of a routine. Wake up. Beat Harry in mythomagic. Do all the usual crazy morning stuff. Bemoan your boredom. Fall asleep. He'd been forced to beat Harry at mythomagic a little more than he'd have liked- the game and it's holographic figures seemed to keep the Boy-Who-Lived's mind out of the infuriating articles in the Daily Prophet and, though he probably didn't know it, Sirius.

Neither Nico nor Harry heard a word out of the Dursleys' mouths. Dudley Dursley didn't come up to speak with his cousin- he just went on ignoring him as usual, but kept shooting awkward looks now and then, glances Harry didn't seem to acknowledge. Nico, on the other hand, made it a sort of priority that he stay away from the Dursleys as much as possible. As fun as it would be to infuriate the family of three, he knew it wasn't necessary to start an uproar in the middle of Nr 4. Remus had gladly encouraged Nico to be at Privet Drive, and he was nearly absolutely certain that the ex-Defense teacher had told Dumbledore of this.

Tomorrow was when the Headmaster was supposed to be due, and Nico had been trying to get Harry to pack his trunk ever since he'd known. Of course, Harry kept procrastinating the event and Nico plainly refused to do anything involving his packing, swearing in front of Harry that he would not touch it and that he would receive no help packing his trunk. Harry had also agreed to let Nico tell him, 'I told you so' if Dumbledore did happen to appear and he managed to embarrass himself.

True to his word, however, and much to Nico's disappointment (not that he'd admit it) Harry packed his things later that day. Nico was slightly put out by this since he really did want to say, 'I told you so'. He'd never really said it before, but Annabeth, Reyna, and Hazel had many incidents in which they had used the phrase and it must have been immensely satisfying because they seemed to jump at every opportunity to say it.

Harry threw Nico a smug look.

"I'll get you next time," Nico silently swore...yet as he said it, there was something strange with his words that he couldn't really get. Harry looked at him in shock, which quickly morphed to amusement and the Boy-Who-Lived snickered.

"What?" Nico asked indignantly, which only made Harry laugh harder.

Nico cleared his throat. His voice sounded normal. Meaning the Stolls hadn't force-fed him a balloon full of helium. threw an annoyed glare at Harry.

"Harry, seriously, what's wrong?" Harry's laughs subsided into snickers, but he refused to give Nico a straight answer.

* * *

The night Nico was flustered. He was, by no means, a morning person, so he asked Harry to try and wake him up when Dumbledore came. Harry, who looked a bit incredulous about the Headmaster coming as if it might have all been a joke, but reassured by Nico's presence that it may have been true, told the Son of Hades he would, 'try'.

Nico was not reassured by this. He also avoided speaking to Harry in general since he seemed to find that hilarious for some reason.

The next day, Nico woke up to a hand full of water to the face. He sat up, gasping, only to see Harry looking at him anxiously with semi-cupped hands which were dripping wet. A wave of ferocity and annoyance took over Nico and he looked at Harry in disbelief.

"What-"

"Dumbledore's here." Harry said, grimacing. "Look, I'm sorry, but you sleep like the dead. And I couldn't very well yell with-"

"Who the blazes is calling at this time of night?" a voice bellowed from downstairs.

"Do I get to say it now?" Harry was too excited to crack a smile at Nico's speech.

"Say what?"

"I told you so. You owe it to me after this. And you didn't completely believe Dumbledore was coming."

Harry's expression turned into one of incredulity and he stared at Nico with a look that clearly said, 'Are you serious?'. "Fine," Harry sighed, shaking his head in defeat.

Nico smirked as he stretched and got out of bed, still somewhat holding a grudge. "I told you so."

He was right. It was immensely satisfying.

-O-

Apparently, Harry hadn't warned the Dursleys about Dumbledore coming. It was an unintentionally smart move on his part too, Nico thought. With all the rage they had been bottling up since his arrival, that piece of news would have crossed their limits. Plus, it was rather amusing to see Vernon's face turn a shade of purple, just as puce colored as his night gown. Nico decided he wasn't feeling generous that day, and agreed in his mind to think of it as a dress. Yes, Harry's Uncle was standing in front of the most powerful and respected wizard known to Britain, wearing a purple pajama dress. It was much more fitting that way.

As they walked down, Dumbledore acknowledged Nico's presence with a smile, indicating that Remus Lupin had, in fact, told him. But he also gave Nico a pointed look that told him they had matters to talk about.

"Judging by your look of stunned disbelief, Harry did not warn you that I was coming," said Dumbledore pleasantly to Vernon. "However, let us assume that you have invited me warmly into your house. It is unwise to linger overlong on doorsteps in these troubled times."

Nico found it impressive how Dumbledore had, for lack of a better term, welcomed himself into the Dursley household in a matter of seconds.

"It is a long time since my last visit," said Dumbledore, peering down his crooked nose at Vernon. "I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing."

_Now he's complimenting their flowers? _Nico was honestly amused by the old Headmaster.

In his rage, Vernon seemed to have lost his ability to speak, but it returned to him quickly, his vein pulsing dangerously in his forehead.

"Now see here, you old codger!" he said. "You have no right whatsover to step into my property, no matter if the boy will leave next summer or-"

"And who has informed you of that, Mr Dursley?" Dumbledore said, ignoring Vernon's insult as his eyebrows creased in confusion.

"The Granger bloke-"

"Who?" Harry blurted out, looking confused as well now.

"Me," Nico said, with an awkward raised hand. "Um, you know. Nico Granger."

Harry looked at Nico like he'd attempted suicide while Dumbledore looked amused.

"Ah, well, that's a matter to discuss later." he said with a smile.

"WE ARE NOT DISCUSSING ANYTHING UNTIL-" Vernon quickly clapped a hand over his mouth in panic, and ran distractedly to the window, his purple face paling considerably and rapidly losing color as he looked across the street, no doubt searching for neighbors he might have awoken at this time.

He gave a sigh of relief and turned to Dumbledore, Harry, and Nico, still looking angry.

"Mr Dursley, we can have a much more polite conversation about your nephew and other affairs in somewhere much more...productive, if you please." Dumbledore said. The spark in his eyes was no put out, but he looked slightly irritated at Vernon having an outburst so early into their introduction. Nico could tell this was not how Dumbledore had their meeting in mind. Vernon's expression turned different as he apparently remembered that Dumbledore was in control of whether or not Harry was going to stay (or at least that was what he thought).

I don't mean to be rude —" he began again, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable. Nico honestly thought it was too late for apologies or civil speech after his outburst, but he could clearly note that the senior Dursley had no intention of blowing his chances with the man who would most probably mercifully rid Harry of them. It was a fact both Nico and Harry seemed to acknowledge, judging by their short exchange of looks; but what bothered and infuriated Nico more was that Harry seemed unsurprising by this behavior.

"-yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often," Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely, clearly no longer impressed with the Dursleys' patch of agapanthus or willing to humor them.

"Best to say nothing at all, my dear man. Ah, and this must be Petunia."

The kitchen door had opened, and there stood Harry's aunt, wearing rubber gloves and a housecoat over her nightdress, clearly halfway through her usual pre-bedtime wipe-down of all the kitchen surfaces. Her rather horsey face registered nothing but shock. Nico couldn't help but wonder when Petunia Dursley had ever seen Dumbledore- he couldn't miss that spark of recognition anywhere. It was quite obvious Vernon had never met him, but judging by his reaction, he had obviously known who Dumbledore was before their less-than stellar acquaintance.

"Albus Dumbledore," said Dumbledore, when Uncle Vernon failed to effect a proper introduction. His eye twitched with suppressed ferocity. "We have corresponded, of course." he continued, confirming Nico's point. He made a point to ask Harry when.

And this must be your son, Dudley?"

Dudley had that moment peered round the living room door. His large, blond head rising out of the stripy collar of his pajamas looked oddly disembodied, his mouth gaping in astonishment. He looked horrified at the very idea of a grown-up wizard and seemed to be contemplating all the terrible curses Dumbledore could put on him easily. Nico, who'd barely seen Dudley, found the terrified look on his face slightly foreign. Dudley hadn't seemed to be an easy scare- well, expect for Nico, but the Son of Hades still found it pretty difficult to feel intimidated by a man such as Albus Dumbledore when he was seemingly warm and welcoming.

"Shall we assume that you have invited me into your sitting room?" Dudley scrambled out of the way as Dumbledore passed him. Harry and jumped down the last few stairs while Nico cautiously walked down them. His leg was alright, but he doubted he could run or jump well with it.

"Aren't - aren't we leaving, sir?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Yes, indeed we are, but there are a few matters we need to discuss first," said Dumbledore. "And I would prefer not to do so in the open. We shall trespass upon your aunt and uncle's hospitality only a little longer."

You will, will you?"

Vernon Dursley had entered the room, still looking as though he was doing his best to bite his tongue and not speak a word. Petunia was at his shoulder, and Dudley skulking behind them both.

"Yes," said Dumbledore simply, "I shall." His carefree answer nearly had Nico smirking.

Dumbledore drew his wand so rapidly that Nico barely saw it; with a casual flick, the sofa zoomed forward and knocked the knees out from under all three of the Dursleys so that they collapsed upon it in a heap. Another flick of the wand and the sofa zoomed back to its original position.

"We may as well be comfortable," said Dumbledore pleasantly. Nico let the tiniest of smiles grace his lips. Harry just looked overwhelmed.

As he replaced his wand in his pocket, however,Nico caught sight of his hand-it was blackened and shriveled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away...And it felt strange. Nico couldn't recognize that feeling- it did feel oddly familiar to his sense, but something was just hovering over the old wizard, and its primary source seemed to be his hand.

A question was half way out of Nico's mouth until Harry beat him to it.

"Sir — what happened to your — ?"

"Later, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Please sit down."

"I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshment," Dumbledore said to Uncle Vernon, "but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness." Nico silently agreed, though he wouldn't have put it past Dumbledore to do so, anyway.

A third twitch of the wand, and a dusty bottle and six glasses appeared in midair. The bottle tipped and poured a generous measure of honey-colored liquid into each of the glasses, which then floated to each person in the room.

"Madam Rosmerta's finest oak-matured mead," said Dumbledore, raising his glass to Harry, who caught hold of his own and sipped. He had never tasted anything like it before, but enjoyed it immensely. He gave Nico a look that said, 'go on', so he politely took a sip of the stuff and inwardly blanched. He didn't like it. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to find it very good. Harry had strange preferences, and so did Dumbledore. Not that the latter was much of a surprise.

The Dursleys, after quick, scared looks at one another, tried to ignore their glasses completely, a difficult feat, as they were nudging them gently on the sides of their heads. Nico could easily see that Dumbledore was rather enjoying himself, neither did he blame the Headmaster for this. If he had the authority to make things float around bonking the Dursleys on the head, he would have done it in a moment...expect maybe his weapons of choice might have been something a littler more damaging than little glasses...Perhaps quaffles. Or better yet, bludgers.

Well, Harry," said Dumbledore, turning toward him, "a difficulty has arisen which I hope you will be able to solve for us. By us, I mean the Order of the Phoenix. But first of all I must tell you that Sirius's will was discovered a week ago and that he left you everything he owned."

Over the sofa, Vernon's head turned as he looked at Dumbledore dubiously. Harry, however, was not looking at anything- he was staring blankly into the air, and he muttered and 'Oh..Right'. Nico immediately felt out of the picture.

Nico cleared his throat and looked at the Headmaster.

"Uh, would you mind if I go up stairs and collect my bag...Um, you know, just to avoid delays."

Dumbledore, seemingly sensing Nico's desire to give them privacy, nodded warmly and gave him a smile, and the twinkle in his eyes intensified. It took Nico a couple minutes to figure out Dumbledore was staring at him with the same amused look Harry had whenever he said something nowadays. He didn't know whether to me annoyed or weirded out.

"Ah, certainly, Mr...Granger."

Nico thanked him and slowly rose from his seat. Vernon gave him a glare as if Nico was the on who had planned for all this to happen, but Nico paid him no mind as he exited the sitting room and made his way up, taking as much time as possible in order to not invade their conversation.

Up in the Dursleys' guest room, Nico pulled out his backpack from under the bed true to his words. The now considerably cleaner but slightly tainted fabric give no indication of being expanded on the inside- Lou had done that for him while handing him the gifts of the Hecate cabin since it was too advanced of a spell to try.

He rummaged around for a bit until he found his crutches, and then pushed them in there as well with the other stuff- all of Harry's presents were still in there, because the Boy Who Lived unfortunately had no advantage of extended travel bags as Nico did.

He found himself pondering to keep his mind off of things- he wondered how he'd get his stuff for the year. Last time, Hecate had simply made all his things appear out of thing air like- well, magic, for lack of a proper term. This time though, he'd have to get his stuff alone. He wasn't really worried about how he'd get the money- he was pretty sure Hogwarts had a fund, or if not, he could just borrow some mug- mortal money from camp and exchange it for wizarding currency. He'd never been to Diagon Alley, though Ginny and Neville had spoke of it fondly.

He also had to get a wand of his own now that his was broken. Harry was very sympathetic about this- he had explained to Nico that he had to get another one since another wand would never work as well for him. Nico found the process of the wand choosing a wizard deeply inconvenient. He found the fact that he _needed _another wand even more so.

He also had to get an owl- he _had_ to stay in contact with Camp Half-Blood. Constant Iris Messaging in a school full of curious, mostly nosy students wasn't the greatest idea, especially now that Nico couldn't use the shadows and a concealment. Again, he didn't much like the idea of getting a 'pet'. He quite like Xavia, and had no idea who Lou Ellen felt obliged to take her as well, but he couldn't hold that again her; it _was _Lou's raven after all.

Casually slinging the blue pack onto his shoulders, he made sure to descend down the stairs as slow as possible, unsurprising by a few fits of yelling now and then as he strolled aimlessly down the stairs.

A hoot nearby brought him to his sense- mid-way down, Nico sighed and went back up. Hedwig, Harry's snowy white owl, was giving the son of Hades an indignant look, as if demanding why she had been forgotten. The thing was really smart- Nico would give her that. Hedwig had been moody (for an owl) about being stuck in a cage all the time, though Nico was quite sure she was used to this treatment during summers by now.

"Yeah, yeah," Nico muttered with an eye roll. "Don't worry- we still know you exist."

He couldn't get Harry's trunk _and _his owl all at the same time, so he settled for pulling Harry's trunk and placing it on top of the stairs, soon after picking up Hedwig's cage. He stood by the stairs for quite a while and leaned forwards carefully, trying to listen for any arguments or enraged voices; he didn't want to go down their with Hedwig and make Dursley even more furious. Well, he did, but not wreaking havoc would have been to his advantage right then and there. Even the Stolls and Fred and George wouldn't have intentionally caused trouble at the time...Or maybe they would have. Nico didn't think he wanted to know for all he was worth. He'd just have to take his first, and probably last look at Diagon Alley before he set the Stolls loose on it. He wasn't by any means a son of Athena, but everyone with half a brain cell could figure out the equation- Weasley twins + Stolls = apocalypse.

After being absolutely sure the conversation was done- or nearly done at least, Nico climbed down, watching his footsteps careully. Hedwig dutifully remained silenced throughout their trip.

Ones he made it to the bottom, Nico poked his head around the corner and into the sitting room; miraculously, Harry and Dumbledore were just standing up.

Harry's eyes shifted Nico, as softened in relief of having found something else to think about. He gave Nico a pointed 'We'll speak later' look before his eyes darted to Hedwig's cage. Harry then excused himself to run up stairs and grab his things before coming back down.

The group of three then stepped outside the household.

"Bye," Harry said hastily to the Dursleys before the door was slammed shut. Nico had to wonder drily why he even bothered. Barely a few weeks with them, and Nico was anything but fond of the Dursley.

"We do not want to be encumbered by these just now," Dumbledore said, pulling out his wand again with a meaningful look at Hedwig, whose cage Nico was still holding.

"I shall send them to the Burrow to await us there. However, I would like you to bring your Invisibility Cloak, Harry... just in case." Nico remembered that the Burrow was where the Weasleys lived- Ginny had mentioned it.

"You have an Invisibility Cloak?" Nico asked incredulously. Dumbledore watched Nico with an amused expression he still couldn't fathom while Harry suppressed a snicker.

"I didn't tell you?" he asked, but it was hard to be sincere while trying to hold back laughter. "Well, sorry then. I guess that everyone around me seems to know, so I just assumed I told you. I inherited it from my father." he continued casually, pulling his cloak out of the trunk with difficulty. It stung just a bit that Harry hadn't told him about that- but Nico quickly dismissed it, thinking harsh thought to himself. Harry had been grieving Sirius all summer- and he wasn't obliged to tell Nico anything.

Dumbledore, still looking rather entertained, flicked his wand casually- in a moment, Hedwig, Harry's trunk, and even Nico's backpack disappeared into thin air.

"And now, boys," Dumbledore began, smiling as he took in cold, misty night for the first time since stepping outside Number 4. " let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."

**Yaay. Ambie updated! Oh, wait a second..."I updated. On time. Not that I ever don't. Anywho's, thanks for your reviews! (That rhymed...) Really, thanks! To all 15 reviewers of the last chapter. And, as I've mentioned several times, I'm by no means a fan of Dudley, but the bloke had to be given his justice.**

**"Most of you are probably wondering, right now, why Harry and Dumbledore (and even the Dursleys!) were looking funny at Nico as he talked? Well, you should've guessed by now :). In fact, anyone who guesses will get a shout-out! (Not you, tho, Kero- I've already told you.)**

**"In other news, I'm absolutely bored out of my mind. Really. Writing this was somewhat hard at beginning- it's something like writer's block, but instead, I kept seeing my writing as bad and I just sort had to resist the urge to tear all my work down, stomp on it, set it aflame, and watch it burn. It just didn't seem good enough, no matter what. So I decided to swallow that feeling and tell it to bugger off. I updated anyway. Aaand, I've been giving a lot of thought to what would happen if I die before completing this fic...No, guys, I haven't fallen into depression and I'm not a goth (not that I have anything against them. Goths are cool...expect for Tara Gilbert. My Immortal ruined my life...) but I've just been giving it thought. So, if I don't update or suddenly abandon this (not gunna happen) without telling anyone, then I'm either really sick, or well, yeah..."**

**Soooo...Ambie has accepted the 'Speak in Third Person' challenge. She hates it. Thank God for inverted comas though, or Ambie wouldn't have lived. Fortunately, she has decided to vent her frustration by challenging all of you to this challenge. And Ambie warns you that if you do not accept, she will personally do a shout out for all of you cowards. *Evil grin*. Thus, she commands all of you to review in third person.**

**Just to cheer you up, here are five things that annoy Ambie, so stear clear of them.**

**1) When people call her 'Am-by'. Her name is pronounced 'Am-bee' for Zeus' sake!**

**2) When people say 'Could/Should/would of' instead of 'could/should/would have'. That annoys the crap out of her.**

**3) When people curse unnecessarily. Ambie hates cussing without purpose. She really does. The furthest curses she'd use are 'bastard' and perhaps, if she really wants to express her emotions, 'bitch'. But Ambie does not like swearing just in order to look 'cool'. **

**4) Ambie hates twihards with no brains. It doesn't matter to her if anyone likes Twilight, but she can't stand people being stupid about it and yelling that anyone who does't like Twilight should go to Hell and burn.**

**5) Ambie despises losing. She's a bit of a show off sometimes (but only because she doesn't have much to show off about, so she jumps at opportunities) and her Slytherin side wants to win and prove that she's worth something.**

**Bonus 6) Ambie hates getting sorted into Gryffindor. She doesn't have anything against the house but she seriously doubts her 'bravery' (*cough* nonexistant *cough*) and she feels like everyone wants to be Gryffindor because it's the house of the heroes. But for some reason, everytime she makes a Pottermore account (the usernames are ridiculously hard to remember!) she ends up in Gryffindor, expect that blissful once when she got Ravenclaw. **

**She also got Gryffinclaw in the mixed-house quizzes, though she will keep insisting that she's a Slytherclaw so you better treat her that way or suffer.**

**Ok, that is is for now. Abie also wants to tell you it's not allowed to use inverted commas in this. *Grin*. She knows that ANY Slytherins will accept since they're all about proving themselves, and that Gryffindors will, too, because they want to prove their bravery. Ravenclaws may think this is educational and try, whereas Hufflepuffs are too nice to refuse.**

**Tell Ambs which houses you are in on Pottermore! (and your ridiculously difficult usernames (if you remember them) so she can add you, too!)**

**Now, on with the review replies where Ambs will use inverted commas, the true bliss of grammar, one or twice-**

**RRs:**

**Lukas: *sniffs* Ambie is not amused by what you said. No, she is not dead Sirius. He is, as you can tell, dead, and I am clearly not. Anyways, as far as Ambie knows, none of her reviewers are named Lukas...or the ones who are, don't bother to introduce themselves. Heh. Aw, no that would be disgracing his memory- but ooh, Ambie and Lukas can have people wear neon clothes to his funeral...colorful. *Evil grin* Ambie doubts Anubis will accept a mummy in white clothes anyway.. Yes, Ambie thinks Dudley is cowardly. You cowardly pig! Go APOLLOgize ("I caught the pun!") Now! Unfortunately he isn't going to, up until Deathly Hallows. And YAAAH! Ambie is happy that Lukas has FINALLY logged into his account. She was honestly beginning to wonder if he even had one. But she understands being lazy enough not to log in- she does that all the time. *Puts on procrastination shades* Ambie is cool that way.**

**GrimCreeper: "Haha! Well, I wouldn't suggest you try it!" Thank for leavin' a review!**

**Kerowyn6: Ah...the PMs say it all, Kero. They say it all. *Odd wise look*.**

**fangirl2471999: Thanks! Ah...here comes the next chapter on a silver platter! **

**Princess Of Flames: Ah, your ideas never seize to amuse Ambie, dear PoF. She is sure Dudley would rather have not played, and she also had no intention of ruining that pleasant scene during Deathly Hallows. Anyway, Ambie thanks you for this awesome review, again!**

**Dragonsblue: Well, Ambie completely agrees. She doesn't think much of twilight right now. And Nico's leg is better, as you can see :) But Ambie sends you her... Thanks for reviewing!**

**MarissaTodd: "It's too late...:(..I'M DYING! AAAAAH! I'M DYING!" (P.S, thanks for leaving a review)**

**alealea: "Aw, thanks! That's really nice of you to say- it means a lot. I do try to focus on originality on my fic because usually, all the Half-Bloods at Hogwarts fics go somewhat like this: Nico, say, goes to Hogwarts. Nico gets sorted in Gryffindor/Slytherin. Nico becomes friends with Draco/Trio or the Trio are mysteriously suspicous of him fo seemingly no reason at all. Nico either faces a boggart in front of the entire school and/or gets kidnapped by Voldemrot and fellow Death Eaters, shows awesome powers and proves Trio wrong for suspecting him as he turns out to be a good Slytherin/true Gryffindor, and overshadows all wizards by being a demigod. Personally, I think this is one of the reasons why authors get bored with these plots so often- it's really because 70% of the time they're making demigods seem invincible compared to wizards, or copy the original plot of JKR's books, only with occasional mentions of the Half-Bloods doing their insane stuff. That's why I decided to take a risk and see what this was worth- I planned out the entire trilogy in my head, expect that I sometimes make a tweak now and then, but it's all complete, so I don't get that type of Writer's Block where I'm stuck with the story and don't know where to go. Kay, I'm rambling...Anyway, continuing on...That theory is wrong. I mean, really. I've already told you why in a PM, but I personally think that certain Horcruxes don't feel horrible- I do wonder, why didn't TMR's diary feel weird?...Or did it? I have to reread CoS soon. Yes, indeed, I do wish I had a Valiant Van of my own to travel with that way- I also happen to love planes !Thanks for leaving a review, as usual!**

**Winterlover6: Lol. I agree. The list goes on...thanks for leaving a review!**

**Finwitch1: Thank you ;)**

**Haylee: "I wonder why your name keeps disappearing...maybe it's because I copy-paste it? I mean, heavans bless ME if I can remember all of that. But honestly, I like your ranting. Seriously. Keep it up. And you deserve that spot ;). Not that it means much..Thanks for leaving a review!**

**Star-Crossed Rose: Ambie hopes a couple of your questions are answered! And yes, Twilight is definitely not her favorite fandom.*sigh* Well, not everything is Harry Potter! Thanks for leaving a review!**

**Hunter of Artemis: Aw! Thanks! Ambie was beaming throughout this! You make her smile. *smiles* See? Thanks for leaving a review!**

**BetterNameToCome: Wow Ambie likes your name XD. Thanks for leaving a review!**

_**VERY IMPORTANT PART: Please, read the first Chapter of NAH: YEAR for explanation of Hecate, magic, and the connection between magic and Hecate.**_

_**THATS'S ALL, PEACE OUT!**_

_**(P.S: Ambie is planning to take on the 'Speak like Hagrid!' and 'Speak like Snape!" challenges, so yeh reviewers betta watch out because yer gonna be challenge righ' soon! An any tomfoolery will not be accepted in these challenges- I full expect you to acknowledge the delicate art of speech-intimation...Not that I expect you dunderheads to fully comprehend it. But for those with usable minds, I hope whatever is left of your semi-human intelligence is switched on for these competitions.)**_


	11. The Sixth Year Prefect

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the triology, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**

**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**

**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**

**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**

**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**

**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**

**O**

**_'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince_'**

**Chapter 3:The Sixth Year Prefect**

**Part 1: A Chat at Slughorn's**

Nico may have not been the most observant person on earth, but no one could miss the visible awkwardness Harry showed toward talking to Dumbledore- he supposed that was how it was, talking to one's Headmaster without a desk between you. He himself didn't are much- sure, he respected Dumbledore, but he just couldn't bring himself to feel too nervous about it. Maybe he should have, but he didn't. Dumbledore either didn't notice or didn't mind this.

"Keep your wands ready, boys." He said brightly.

Harry took out his and suddenly, that nonexistent sense of awkwardness welcomed Nico in open arms.

Not knowing what to do, he coughed into his fist sheepishly until he drew the Headmaster's attention.

"I- er, may have had a certain accident with my wand, sir." Slowly, he extracted the remains of his wand. The blackened phoenix feather crumbled slightly in the wind.

"Ah…Well, that is something we will have to bring up later, Mr Angelo." said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling casually. "Meanwhile, stay beside Harry and myself. I am aware you have extraordinary powers and are more than capable of taking care of yourself, but as Alastor keeps saying, we better maintain 'Constant Vigilance'." Nico nodded his acceptance.

"If there is an attack, Harry," said Dumbledore, "I give you permission to use any counterjinx or curse that might occur to you. However, I do not think you need worry about being attacked tonight."

"Why not, sir?" Harry asked, in a tone as if he was attempting to sound curious about it.

"You are with me," said Dumbledore simply. "This will do, Harry." He came to an abrupt halt at the end of Privet Drive. "You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," he said. "No," said Harry. "I thought you had to be seventeen?"

"You do," Dumbledore said. "And I can tell Mr. Angelo here is lacking that means of transportation, too, at the moment. Another did to add to our long list of conversations." he added, looking at Nico meaningfully.

Somehow, Nico didn't really feel surprised that Dumbledore knew it, but he was intrigued as to why he knew that Nico couldn't shadow travel, but didn't know he broke his wand.

"So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly. My left, if you don't mind — as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment. As for Mr Angelo, you may continue with the cycle," Harry gripped Dumbledore's proffered forearm. Nico's awkwardness sky rocketed as he, in turn, grasped Harry's. Part of him was curious as to how Apparition worked.

"Very good," said Dumbledore. "Well, here we go."

In a sudden motion, Nico felt Harry's arm slip from his grip and redoubled his hold on it firmly, not wanting to be stranded in Little Whinging.

He couldn't really explain the feeling- the best metaphor he could use was that it probably resembled being squeezed through a straw. It was a terrible feeling- Nico immediately hated Apparition. Apparition was not, by whatever term you could think of, like shadow travel- instead of the wave of coldness, darkness, the slight compression and the rush of speed, that sucked-through-a-swirly-straw lingered. Still, like he always did with shadow-travel, he shut his eyes tight, and waited for it to be over. He was disappointed. Or at least, not on that matter.

Once they hit solid floor, Harry and Nico simultaneously tripped over each other and fell onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. Nico groaned- his leg began throbbing slightly, and he winced as he and Harry quickly stumbled to their feet.

Dumbledore stood above them, towering. More awkwardness followed as the two raven-haired boys steadied themselves.

"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, looking down at them kindly. "The sensation does take some getting used to."

"I'm fine," Harry and Nico replied in unison.

"Though I think I might prefer brooms," Harry added as an afterthought.

"Can't say I agree with you on that." Nico muttered.

Dumbledore gave him a crooked smile. "Ah, yes, there is that. Yet another matter we have to discuss."

Nico allowed Dumbledore's penetrating eyes to meet his own dark ones. It seemed there were a lot of things he and Dumbledore would be discussing that day. He didn't mind- he himself had a few questions of his own to ask the old man. He nodded reluctantly.

Dumbledore smiled again, drew his traveling cloak a little more tightly around his neck, and said, "This way." He set off at a brisk pace, past an empty inn and a few houses. According to a clock on a nearby church, it was almost midnight. Harry and Nico trudged behind him.

Nico looked around and took in his surroundings. He'd never really been in a wizarding village- at least that's where he thought they were- except for Hogsmeade, and he'd barely looked around, then. Things didn't look so odd- not to him, at least. The darkness of the night blanketed the city, barely a shadow in sight due to the absence of light. Crooked signs hung over and in front of chosen building- as he looked around, Harry and Dumbledore talked. He listened, but he didn't speak. He didn't interfere because he didn't have to- he did keep an ear in incase someone called him name and he was invited into the conversation.

He did, however, pay attention to something he himself was wondering.

"Professor?" "Harry?" "Er — where exactly are we?" "This, Harry, is the charming village of Budleigh Babberton."

"I thought we were going to the Burrow?" Nico asked, now too intrigued to keep silent.

"Ah yes, of course, I haven't told you," said Dumbledore. "Well, I have lost count of the number of times I have said this in recent years, but we are, once again, one member of staff short. We are here to persuade an old colleague of mine to come out of retirement and return to Hogwarts."

"How can I help with that, sir?" asked Harry from beside Nico, frowning in confusion.

"Oh, I think we'll find a use for you," said Dumbledore mysteriously.

They continued to walk for a while, whilst Nico thought it over. Trust Dumbledore to take them to a surprise trip. He wasn't quite sure how Harry fit into this, but he thought he had a hunch- it included that member of staff being a witch and a fangirl, though from the way Dumbledore spoke of it.

The streets were chilly and had a hint of frost woven in its already bitter atmosphere. The frosty weather seemed almost constant now around Britain. He was used to the cold- but there was something about this particular 'cold' that seemed unnatural. Self-created.

Nico brought his attention back to streets.

They were nearing a small, neat stone house set in its own garden. Harry pondering about something, as his trouble expression told Nico, to have attention left for anything else, but as they reached the front gate, Dumbledore stopped dead and Harry walked into him, which, of course, meant that Nico walked into Harry. "Oh dear. Oh dear, dear, dear." Muttered Dumbledore, his eyes widening slightly.

Nico followed his gaze up the carefully tended front path and felt his thoughts force themselves through his mind like a strike of lightning. The front door was hanging off its hinges. Dumbledore glanced up and down the street. It seemed quite deserted. "Wand out and follow me, " he said quietly. He opened the gate and walked swiftly and silently up the garden path, Harry and Nico at his heels, then pushed the front door very slowly, his wand raised and at the ready.

Dumbledore's wand tip ignited, casting its light up a narrow hallway. To the left, another door stood open. Holding his illuminated wand in the air, Dumbledore walked into the sitting room, Nico and Harry right behind. A scene of total devastation met their eyes.

A grandfather clock lay splintered at their feet, its face cracked, its pendulum lying a little farther away like a dropped sword. A piano was on its side, its keys strewn across the floor. The wreckage of a fallen chandelier glittered nearby. Cushions lay deflated, feathers oozing from slashes in their sides; fragments of glass and china lay like powder over everything. Dumbledore raised his wand even higher, so that its light was thrown upon the walls, where something darkly red and glutinous was spattered over the wallpaper.

It seemed like an attack…yet it didn't. Something about it just didn't feel right to Nico- his eyes wandered to the obvious destruction, and he couldn't help but not buy it. Why would Death Eaters bother doing this to whomever lived here? Why ruin the house life that, and take so much effort? Why not just kill the man, and set fire to his residence if they had meant to add insult to injury? It just made no sense. Having been sued to several situations where signs of struggle had occurred, Nico didn't find this very suspicious. His vision switched to the dark substance on the wall and smiled. It all looked like a deliberate attempt to fake an attack.

Harry took a sharp breath, and Dumbledore turned to him.

"Not pretty, is it?" he said heavily. "Yes, something horrible has happened here." Dumbledore moved carefully into the middle of the room, scrutinizing the wreckage at his feet. Harry followed, gazing around, half-scared of what he might see hidden behind the wreck of the piano or the overturned sofa, but there was no sign of a body. Nico stood rooted to his spot, surveying the area and trying to make sense of what happened and why someone would fake their death…or abduction, whatever the case was. "Maybe there was a fight and — and they dragged him off, Professor?" Harry suggested, sounding nervous. Nico didn't blame him- he, again, look at the blood half-way up the wall. Seriously? Whoever planned this was a total amateur.

"I don't think so," said Dumbledore quietly, peering behind an overstuffed armchair lying on its side. "You mean he's — ?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised

"Still here somewhere? Yes." And without warning, Dumbledore swooped, plunging the tip of his wand into the seat of the overstuffed armchair, which yelled, "Ouch!"

"Good evening, Horace," said Dumbledore, straightening up again. Harry's jaw dropped. Nico's mouth was half-open in disbelief, and he squinted just to be sure he was seeing right. Where a split second ago there had been an armchair, there now crouched an enormously fat, bald, old man who was massaging his lower belly and squinting up at Dumbledore with an aggrieved and watery eye. Arm chair….well, Nico had to give the guy points for originality. He couldn't imagine any Death Eater searching for him in an arm chair. His brain was still trying to comprehend the ridiculousness of it all when the silence was, yet again, broken.

"There was no need to stick the wand in that hard," he said gruffly, clambering to his feet. "It hurt."

He had a large silver walruslike mustache that rivaled that of Vernon Dursleys, a maroon velvet jacket was worn above his lilac silk pajamas (though not the best choice of colors, Nico thought it served much better than the senior Dursleys purple dress.

"What gave it away?" he grunted as he staggered to his feet, still rubbing his lower belly. He seemed remarkably unashamed for a man who had just been discovered pretending to be an armchair, like it was something that had recurred several times.

"My dear Horace," said Dumbledore, looking amused, "if the Death Eaters really had come to call, the Dark Mark would have been set over the house." The wizard clapped a pudgy hand to his vast forehead. "The Dark Mark," he muttered. "Knew there was something . . . ah well. Wouldn't have had time anyway, I'd only just put the finishing touches to my upholstery when you entered the room."

"So it _was_ fake," Nico muttered thoughtfully, though it came out a little louder than he meant.

"Ah, yes, yes it was." The man said. "Have you noticed the lack of Dark Marks in the proximity as well?" his eyes shown with an imploring light.

"I just thought Death Eater wouldn't go through so much trouble," Nico admitted. He tilted his head toward the 'blood'. "And that's still fresh, and it loses color as it slides down the wall, unlike real human blood- it decreases in quantity, but the color remains vivid."

The man, Horace, apparently, stared at him.

"And it does smell like…like.."

"Puttanesca sauce." He admitted, not looking like he cared about the failure. "Impressive….quite impressive."

Dumbledore and Harry were watching their exchange in amusement and mystification, respectively.

"Would you like my assistance clearing up?" asked Dumbledore politely, interrupting. "Please," said the man.

They stood back to back, the tall thin wizard and the short round one, and waved their wands in one identical sweeping motion. The furniture flew back to its original places, repairing itself and mending as if it weren't ever ruined in the first place.

"What kind of blood was that, incidentally?" asked Dumbledore loudly over the chiming of the newly unscathed grandfather clock. "On the walls? Dragon," shouted the wizard called Horace, as, with a deafening grinding and tinkling, the chandelier screwed itself back into the ceiling.

"Dragon blood smells like puttanesca sauce?" Harry asked, eyes wide.

"Surprisingly so," Horace answered over the sounds of repairing. "My last bottle, too, and prices are sky-high at the moment. Still, it might be reusable." He added with a slight shrug.

He stumped over to a small crystal bottle standing on top of a sideboard and held it up to the light, examining the thick liquid within. "Hmm. Bit dusty." He set the bottle back on the sideboard and sighed. It was then that his gaze fell upon Harry. "Oho," he said, his large round eyes flying to Harry's forehead and the lightning-shaped scar it bore. "Oho!"

_Well, it's not a witch….Not a fangirl, either. But I see his point, _Nico thought.

"This," said Dumbledore, moving forward to make the introduction, "is Harry Potter. Harry, this is an old friend and colleague of mine, Horace Slughorn."

Slughorn turned on Dumbledore, his expression shrewd. "So that's how you thought you'd persuade me, is it? Well, the answer's no, Albus."

He pushed past Harry, his face turned resolutely away with the air of a man trying to resist temptation- his eyes landed on Nico instead.

"This is another one of my students, Nico di Angelo." Dumbledor continued indifferently.

"Yes, yes, smart lad he is, eh?" Slughorn muttered absently.

" Indeed." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and Nico felt his cheeks redden just a bit. "I suppose we can have a drink, at least?" asked Dumbledore. "For old time's sake?"

Slughorn hesitated. "All right then, one drink," he said ungraciously.

Dumbledore smiled at then and directed them toward a couple chairs not unlike the one that Slughorn had so recently impersonated, which stood right beside the now passionately burning fire and a brightly glowing oil lamp. Harry took the seat and Nico pulled his a little further from the Boy Who Lived. He had a feeling Dumbldore wanted him as visible as possible to Slughorn.

Certainly when Slughorn, who had been busy with decanters and glasses, turned to face the room again, his eyes fell immediately upon Harry. "Hmpf," he said, looking away quickly as though he was under the impression his eyes would set aflame and drop of if he kept staring.

"Here —" He gave a drink to Dumbledore, who had sat down without invitation, thrust the tray at Harry, and then sank into the cushions of the repaired sofa and a disgruntled silence. His legs were so short they hovered slightly above the floor.. "Well, how have you been keeping, Horace?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not so well," said Slughorn at once. "Weak chest. Wheezy. Rheumatism too. Can't move like I used to. Well, that's to be expected. Old age. Fatigue."

"And yet you must have moved fairly quickly to prepare such a welcome for us at such short notice," said Dumbledore.

"You can't have had more than three minutes' warning?" Slughorn said, half irritably, half proudly, "Two. Didn't hear my Intruder Charm go off, I was taking a bath. Still," he added sternly, seeming to pull himself back together again, "the fact remains that I'm an old man, Albus. A tired old man who's earned the right to a quiet life and a few creature comforts."

Nico watched as they exchanged their words- it was quite obvious Slughorn did not want the job Dumbledore was offering him. He seemed to be quite self-preserving and a bit stubborn and standoffish while he was at it, too.

Nico watched as more words were exchanged between them- Slughorn had apparently been travelling around a lot, escaping the Death Eaters' clutches (or so he liked to think) as he did so. He struggled not to laugh as he heard that rumors of Umbridge had travelled quite far. Harry actually did chuckle.

"Sorry," Harry said hastily. "It's just — I didn't like her either." Dumbledore stood up rather suddenly.

"Are you leaving?" asked Slughorn at once, looking hopeful.

"No, I was wondering whether I might use your bathroom," said Dumbledore.

"Oh," said Slughorn, clearly disappointed. "Second on the left down the hall."

"Ah, this old man is loosing his sense of direction, Horace. If you will, Mr Angelo?" he said to Nico, who caught the message at once and stood up.

Slughorn eyed them suspiciously. "You're _both _going to use the bathroom now, eh?" he asked with a tone that clearly implied he didn't believe it for a second.

Dumbledore just smiled and motioned for Nico to follow him. The Headmaster, indeed, took the walked toward the left side, but he did not show any interest to the second door. Instead, he conjured two chairs and cast quick _Muffliato _ before turning back to Nico and motioning for him to sit as he himself took a seat. Nico sat down.

"You've left him with Harry on purpose." Was the first thing he could get out of his tongue. Then he realized it wasn't an appropriate beginning for a conversation and tried to rearticulate his words, but Dumbledore wouldn't let him.

"Ah, yes," he said with a smile. "Horace does need a push in the right direction. But then again, everyone does, once in a while. But that is besides the point- how was your summer with Harry?" he asked.

Nico thought of a word that would fit summer at Privet Drive. "Different," he decided. "very different. So…erm, you wanted to talk, sir?" he felt like smacking himself for stating the obvious, but he couldn't think of another way to steer the banter.

"Oh, most certainly." Dumbledore assured. "First, I would like to congratulate you on your achievements- both, valiantly saving that little girl, and...accepting divergence, let's say."

Nico felt a slow blush creep onto his cheeks, and he forcefully pushed it away. "News travel far too quickly.." he said. "Anyway, sir, what do you mean, 'accepting divergence'?"

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled menacingly. "Ah, you are subconscious of it as well. All the more amusing, I dare say. Speaking of which, Mr Angelo, you are well aware that all fifth years are more or less candidates for the selection of prefect, do you not?"

"Er, yes sir, I do." Nico said, not knowing where this was going and finding it annoying that Dumbledore was refusing to tell him what, exactly, was funny about his speaking.

"Well, Professor McGonagall and I have gone into that matter a bit- and we have thought that, cine you yourself have not gotten the chance…" he trailed off, and then dug into his robes and pulled out a gleaming silver badge with a 'P' on it. Nico gaped at him.

"You….you want to make _me _a prefect?!" he asked, subconsciously very glad that Dumbledore had placed the silencing charm.

"I don't see why you are so surprised. Minerva was quite insistent, as well." He offered Nico the badge.

Still aghast, Nico warily took it as if it might have jumped out of his grip at any second- the badge felt cold and sleek against his skin. He stared at it.

"But…_why? _I mean, don't get me wrong, sir, but isn't that considered favoritism?"

"No, no, Mr Angelo." Dumbledore said, waving it off immediately. "Professor McGonagall and I have given the matter its share of thought- now, can you please explain to my why you can suddenly not access your powers?"

Nico's gaze quietly lifted from the badge and met Dumbledore's. "How'd you know? Sir."

"I can sense it." Dumbledore said simply, without further explanation.

"I'm not so sure, myself." Nico admitted, suddenly feeling frustrated as well as nervous.

"Well, it appears your cores have had a bit of a complication- we will look into that matter later in depth some other time. You will still be able to do magic, but with slight difficulty than before."

Nico nodded, though he sighed in relief. He couldn't imagine going to Hogwarts without magic- or to Camp Half-Blood without powers. He still had more questions on the matter, but Dumbledore had clearly dismissed the conversation by saying they would discuss the matter later.

"In the meanwhile, however," Dumbledore said, looking at Nico carefully. "You can apply for Apparition Tests- I suspect you will need them. Apparition devours much less strength than Skiakineses, and I doubt that will work for you. I have discussed with a few colleagues of mine that you are an exception of the age-restriction."

"But, will I be able to try Apparition?" Nico asked, frowning.

"Hopefully, yes." said Dumbledore. "I also wanted to speak to you- about your time in Azkaban. There is a trial to be held-"

"A trial?!" Nico gaped. "What for? They can't possibly suspect me still, after all that's happened."

"Oh, no that's not the case." Dumbledore assured him. "In fact, it's quite the contrary. Do you really think Cornelius can get away with placing an under aged teenager like yourself in Azkaban for nearly a month?"

Nico froze as he pondered this. He didn't know how to respond to the information- he simply stared at Dumbledore. "I- well, I haven't really given it much thought, to be honest." Nico admitted.

Dumbledore nodded. "You shouldn't have expected less, however. Rufus Scrimingeour, the new Minister, has approved of and even implored this trial to be made. I'm afraid your presence is mandatory- I may be able to attend as well, but Cornelius will also have to be present."

"So…It's not a case against me or anything like that, is it?" Nico asked, still cautious.

"Oh, no." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "I dare say it's one against the Ministry itself. Imprisoning the innocent without corporeal proof has been a sore subject for the Ministry since Sirius Black's death."

Silence dominated the room for the next few seconds.

"So…when is this trial going to take place, anyway?" Nico asked, frowning.

"That remains undecided. Not before the beginning of the school term, though. I daresay you may even be able to gain quite some fortune from this."

"What?" Nico said- by this time, he was sure his eyes were going to pop out of his head any minute. "But- but I've only been there a month. I mean, I'm not defending the Ministry or anything-"

"A month, for an underage wizard in the Dementor pit, is a terribly long amount of time. It is almost like being subjected to mental an emotional torture, and the Ministry is well aware of that. The only Wizengamot member who ever had a shroud of decency in her during that trial was Amelia Bones, and, unfortunately, she is gone."

Another moment of silence was welcomed- he had heard of her death earlier from Harry. Nico vaguely remembered Amelia Bones from his trial earlier that year- a kind looking woman with a welcoming smile. He remembered she was related to Susan Bones, and he felt a bit of sympathy creep into his heart for the Hufflepuff.

"All right, then. I guess I'll be there if it's absolutely necessary." Nico said, emphasizing the word 'absolutely' as a last resort. But Dumbledore only nodded.

"It is also bringing you unwanted publicity...I'm afraid Rita Skeeter is a bit keen on the case." he sighed. "On the much darker note, Mr Angelo, do you know what a Horcrux is?" His voice had dropped to a whisper as he said his- he leaned closer to make sure Nico and Nico alone heard him- it was as if the word itself required so much caution.

"Not..really." he answered skeptically, keeping his voice low as well on instinct, despite the silencing charm. "My father just told me they have something to do with souls, but nothing else. I know it's really dark magic, and that it's frowned upon. I've tried putting two and two together, but all I can think of is that a Horcrux somehow protects a soul from death or such."

Dumbledore nodded, as if approving of this. "You are not far off, yet now very close all the same." he told him. "But no matter- better left in the dark as you are. You will know in due time." His eyes wandered to his hand.

Nico squirmed in his seat and struggled not to repeat Harry's question- he felt faint, nearly non-existent vibes coming off Dumbledore's hand. He couldn't tell what….Questions swirled around in his mind- what was wrong with him? What happened to Dumbldore's hand? Why was he better left in the dark about Horcruxes?...And what exactly was left to know about the trial?

"Another matter I've been waiting for discuss," Dumbledore said grimly, "is the prophecy which Sybil has uttered. It has been professed in a Greek manner, but due to my sources, I have managed to have it professed in..a more natural way, in terms of speech."

His curiosity piqued higher than before, Nico leaned closer to listen, forgetting most of his questions- he was surprised how quickly the prophecy had slipped his mind- it had been hanging over his head for nearly an year now, but he'd barely given it much thought- prophecies were indecisive things. Fate did not like to be meddled with; whatever would happen would, whatever way one looked at it.

"What does it say, sir?" Nico asked.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and his face adopted a serious expression.

"When hope slips beneath grasp of the four, divided,

The badger's pride shall meet fate's judgment.

Amidst the storm that causes his home's destruction toward befall,

The Chosen one shall walk.

Cloaked by shadow, shielded by wit, and loyalty undying,

While a place afar from the hero's destination flows the liquid destructor.

Bringing upon death, but yielding to the clout of love." Dumbledore finished, looking at Nico silently as if searching for a reaction.

And somehow, that version made Nico even more worried. There was something to it that brought elegant yet dangerous mystification to view, something so…real. He found himself frowning in thought at the newly reformed prophecy.

"It doesn't sound good…but Prophecies take a while to come true sometimes, right? I mean, Harry's hasn't even been completed yet." Nico said anxiously.

"Indeed." said Dumbledore, though his tone implied that he did not believe this was the case with said prophecy. Nico said nothing.

"So…uhm..Sir,-"

"No, Mr Angelo. I think it's better that you don't tell Harry and his friends about this."

"But…I think it includes Harry." Nico argued weakly, slightly frustrated.

Dumbledore shook his head and sighed. "All in due time, Mr Angelo. "

"Well, then can I at least- you know, tell him about…me?" he asked, not knowing how to phrase that particular question well.

Dumbledore paused. "If the circumstances require, then yes, you may. Harry's trust is precious, Mr Angelo, and hard to earn. In the _present _circumstances, however," Dumbledore's expression melted into a knowing smile- his eyes twinkled. "I think we can assume Harry has managed to persuade dear old Horace." He stood up and straightened his robes out of habit.

-O-

"Oh, there you are, Albus," said Slughorn as they walked back into the room.. "You've been a very long lime. Upset stomach?"

"No, young Mr Angelo and I here have been having quite the chat," said Dumbledore.

"Man to man, eh?" Slughorn asked sarcastically, clearly not believing a world of it. For some reason, Harry chocked up here. Nico gave him a questioning look.

Dumbledore smiled, but shook his head."I do love knitting patterns, though. Don't you, Nico?"

"Uh…yeah, sure." Nico mattered, wondering how the hell Dumbledore was to know if Slughorn had any knitting magazines or not.

"Well, boys, we have trespassed upon Horace's hospitality quite long enough; I think it is time for us to leave." Dumbledore continued, his eyes shining.

Harry stood up without an ounce of reluctance- he didn't look like he was enjoying the visit much, anyway. Slughorn, however, looked taken aback and that was when Nico knew Harry had worked his magic on the man…..figuratively.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, indeed. I think I know a lost cause when I see one." said Dumbledore. Nico fought to hide a smirk at the cunning Headmaster's antics.

"Lost….?" squeaked Slughorn, his eyes wide with desperation. He seemed agitated. Slughorn played with his fat thumbs and fidgeted as he watched Dumbledore fasten his traveling cloak, Harry zip up his jacket, and Nico adjust his aviator jacket for dramatic effect.

"Well, I'm sorry you don't want the job, Horace," said Dumbledore, raising his uninjured hand in a farewell salute. "Hogwarts would have been glad to see you back again. Our greatly increased security notwithstanding, you will always be welcome to visit, should you wish to." he finished slyly.

"Yes . . . well . . . very gracious ... as I say ..." Slughorn muttered, his eyes wandering around the room restlessly, as if desperate for something to hold his attention.

"Good-bye, then." Dumbldore told him.

"Bye," said Harry and Nico.

They were at the front door when there was a shout from behind them.

"All right, all right, I'll do it!" Nico swore he saw a strange smile curl Dumbledore's lips, and wondered, just for quarter a second, why the old man wasn't in Slytherin.

-O-

Apparition was just as unpleasant the second time as the first- but this time the view was entirely different.

The three of them stood in a garden. The grass was wet, and dark in the dim lit area. The sun was just barely starting to come up- over-flowing flower beds littered the floors of the garden. Comparing it to the Dursleys' perfectly perfect perfections, Nico liked that garden a lot better.

The Burrow itself was much, much more inviting than Privet Drive could ever hope to be- it was, in a way, perfectly imperfect.

The house was layered, with what looked like several floors built on top of each other. It looked like it was held together by magic. Despite giving you the sensation that it might fall over anytime soon, the Burrow gave off an aura of warmth and embracing- it was everything a home should have been.

Harry watched Nico's look with a small smile on his lips, a knowing expression latching onto his face.

"Ah, Mr Angelo, Harry and I are going to have a private conversation- you may go ahead and inform Molly of our presence." Dumbledore told him. Harry glanced at Dumbledore quickly, and Nico nodded, advancing on the little house.

Slowly, taking in the vicinity as he did, he began to walk toward what he hoped was the front door. A litter of old Wellington boots and rusty cauldrons surrounded the Burrow. Nico could not help but remember Neville as he surveyed the cauldrons, which made him snort as he remembered several potion accidents.

A little away, he heard a distinct clucking and raised his eyebrows- he hadn't know the Weasleys had animals.

Once he got to the door, Nico raised his fist, and- reluctantly – knocked three times on the door.

"Who's there?" said a nervous voice he recognized as Mrs. Weasley's. "Declare yourself!"

_What?_

"Er, it's Nico di Angelo. With Headmaster Dumbledore and Harry…kinda."

The door opened slowly, cautiously; very, very cautiously. There stood Mrs. Weasley, short, plump, and wearing an old green dressing gown.

"Oh, Nico, dear." she sighed, obviously relieved. " I didn't think it was you! Goodness, you sounded different. Come in, come in- where are Harry and Albus?" she looked around suspiciously.

" Hello, Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Professor Dumbledore are having a chat in your yard." Nico said simply, walking inside. Mrs Weasley smiled.

The Burrow's kitchen was fair and modest, with a short round table in the middle- Nico spotted Nymphadora Tonks, her hair brown this time, clasping a mug between her hands.

"Wotcher, Nico." she said with a weak smile. Nico returned her greeting. Tonks looked rather ill if he had to say so himself- she looked dull without her trademark bubble-gum pink hair and her smile wasn't anywhere near her eyes.

"I'd better be off," she said quickly, standing up and pulling her cloak around her shoulders. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly."

"What's wrong?" blurted Nico? He couldn't help but figure that she was probably leaving due to their arrival.

"Oh, nothing- just…I'd better be off. " muttered Tonks distractedly, she stalked past Nico without giving him a second look and turned to go outside. Moments later, a loud _crack__! _ announced her disapparition.

"Oh, poor dear." mumbled Mrs Weasley so quietly Nico barely heard her. She then immediately turned to Nico and frowned.

"Goodness, have you got any meat at all on those bones of yours?" she chided. "Are you hungry, dear?"

"I-"

"Sit down," she commanded, not waiting for a reply. Awkwardly, Nico sat down. "I'll knock something up, don't you worry." She looked him up and down as she turned on the stove.

"Haven't even grown very tall since summer, either. Tut, tut. The only thing that's changed about you is your accent- sure did give me a fright."

Nico nearly rolled his eyes at Mrs Weasleys comment, but then almost doubled over in surprise. "Uh, come again, Mrs Weasley?"

Mrs Weasley's smile only widened. "Oh, you haven't noticed, have you? I suppose you have been subconsciously developing it. By Merlin, I can't even tell you're American now." She said casually as she conjured a thick bowl and made it hover around as she heated something on the stove- soon, the bowl was steaming with hot onion soup which Mrs Weasley quickly levitated over to Nico as a piece of toast was magically being buttered in mid-air.

"Wait, so that's why everyone was staring at me odd? Because my accent's changed? Well, blimey." Nico said, mystified as he chewed on toast. Mrs Weasley chuckled-

Nico felt he hadn't had enough time to bemoan the fact that he had changed accents- the Stolls and Leo would _never _let him live it down- because at that moment, a ginger ball of fur climbed onto his feet- he looked down and saw Crookshanks , Hermione's cat, getting comfortable on his lap.

"So, Hermione's here, too? And Ginny? Is_ she_ up yet?" Nico asked, scratching behind Crookshanks' ears. If there was one cat he didn't mind, it was that one.

"Oh, yes, and she's been dying to see you ever since she knew you're coming."

"Huh?" Nico said, his eyes widening in surprise as he stopped the spoon of soup half-way to his mouth. He was on good terms with Hermione, but he'd have thought she would have been more eager to see Harry. Ginny, he may have expected, but not Hermione.

"I thought so, too! She was a bit upset at that time- I'm not sure why, - something about inappropriate and unliscened use of aliases. I think Arthur knows, too, but I haven't had the chance to ask him- as a matter of fact, Ron seems keen to discuss this matter with you, as well. Things the teens of today cook up," she finished good-naturedly, turning of the stove after preparing and extra helping for Harry.

Nico gulped and slowly put down his spoon. Suddenly, he'd lost his appetite.

**There you guys go! Fourteen pages! I had a lot of fun with that, I did! Welp, I gotta warn you guys- next chapter, I'll be doing either speak like Hagrid or Snape. *Grin*.**

**I was…laughing. So, so hard. Really. NO ONE guessed it was Nico having a British accent. Everyone either thought it was his voice cracking, or someone hexing him. My stomach hurt for hours. I mean, I expected some of you to get it right but- well, none of you did. Expect for two awesome people!**

…**..SHOUT OUT TO PANDASAUR727 and NICOISAWESOM! Woooh! She/he told me (Pandasaur) it was the only thing she/he could think of, and it was right! I mean, seriously! Innocence is the key to the answer…*snort* Anyways, good job Pandasaur and NicoIsAwesome (P.S… . Ever.)**

…**we've got…**

**Slytherins: 5**

**Gryffindors: 3**

**Ravenclaws: 4 (hah!)**

**Hufflepuffs: 2**

**Here are some people who either did not read my AN or ignored my challenge: ARandomFangirler, Princess of Flames, Taylor Hepworth, Flamey Ducks, Star-Crossed-Rose and Neon Wish! Get a nerve and join our crazy English-Promoting ride!**

**OK, here are questions I wanna get outta the way!**

_**Why is you disclaimer in four languages?**_

Hey, a disclaimer a day keeps the lawyers away!...And English, French, German, and English ain't so much!

**_...Do you like Ron Weasley?_**

Um, duh. I don't get why people hate him. Whatever. I'm a hardcore Romione shipper anywayz :P!

**_...What's your favourite wrock band?_**

_Minisry of MAGIC! Closely followed my Oliver Boyd and Remebralls!_

**RRs:**

NicoIsAwesome: **I would like to tell you that I admire your skill in making threats. Of course, I'd answer everyone's reviews and update anyway, but I really do like he way you put your words. Congrats on getting it right! And, I'd also like to congratulate your great choice of Pennames. Nico somehow keeps reminding me of Archie's death…*sobs* Anywhos…thanks for leavin a review! (And be up and about for the 'Speak like Hagrid/Snape' challenges!  
**

Guest: **Here's your update :)**

Pandasaur727: **Yes. Congrats on the great guess and thanks for the review!**

alealea: **Wow….You…reviewed…despite the stabbed finger? Wow. Really, I think you moved up a notch on my favourites! You're really awesome, 'lea! Great job! I'm really glad you like my plot so far, and you're an amazing reviewer! Thanks!**

ARandomFangirler: **Wow….poor friend. My middle name keeps getting botched up, too, in certificates. Sheesh. You totally deserve being on the top 10, btw! I'm not that good…And I'd die of shame if anyone saw MY first fanfic…*shudder*. I'm glad you like Pallismera! But better brace yourself for an OC death this book! I don't like Twilight, too, so far..Thanks for reviewing!**

Princess of Flames: **Hm…Angel. All right, then! I like it! Same here! I don't like cussing, either. Which is why I use HOO cussing system! Thank you, Rick, for creating the word 'styx'! Hehehe…better luck next time with the guessing! Thanks for your review!**

Taylor Hepworth: **Yeah, I'll check that out! Thanks for your suggestion! **

Star-Crossed-Rose: **I just realized how cool your name thank you, really. Your review made my day. I was laughing so hard. Really, thanks. Thanks for leaving a review, too!**

Guest: Well, you're not very right, Tanvi. Hehe.. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoy talking in third person. And thanks for reviewing!

Lukas le Stelle: Ambie will take a guess and say Lukas is a guy. She is too lazy to do say 'he/she' all the time.

Ambie pities Lukas for having an older sibling, though she herself is the eldest. Ambie was kind of hoping Lukas would say Nico's voice was cracking too, it would've made her laugh even harder. Again, Ambies thanks Lukas for reviewing and hopes he is excited about his murder next chapter..(he was so young..*sobs*)

Haylee: **I honestly don't get why you think you're ranting..you're not. But I hope you do. You certainly do seem like a Gryffindor, though! I guess people just can't judge themselves. Eh…**

**Neon Wish: Thanks for leaving a review!**


	12. Wait For It

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Get it? No? Je n'ai pas Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Still don't get it? Ich habe nicht Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus. Not on hook yet? Guys, this is the last language I know; Ana la amlik Harry Potter/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Story setting: The second book of the trilogy, takes place during 'Half-Blood Prince'. The Second Giant War has already been won.**

**Update schedule: About once every week, or every other week.**

_**FOLLOWING FIVE CHAPTERS:**_

_**Chapter 2-Summer at Privet Drive**_

_**Chapter 3-The Sixth Year Prefect**_

_**Chapter 4-Watch out Diagon Alley- here come the Stolls!**_

_**Chapter 5- Return to Hogwarts**_

_**Chapter 6- An Uneventful Beginning**_

**O**

_**'Nico at Hogwarts (Year 6): More Than a Half-Blood Prince'**_

**Chapter 3: The Sixth Year-Prefect**

**Part 5: Wait for it...Wait for it...**

Silence, is a weapon. Silence, is an enemy- a friend, a foe, a savior or a deadly give-away. . Silence, is many things- and there are many, many types of silence. There's the comforting kind- like the silence that usually hung around Annabeth and Percy when they were not arguing. There was that kind of silence which was charged to its tip with nervousness, excitement, and emotion in general, like when Travis and Connor Stoll or Fred and George Weasley were scheming a particularly daring prank. There was the deadly kind- one that gave you a sense of dread just by sensing the terrible things that could very well be lurking at its rear. Then there was that kind of silence which gave you a fake sense of security- like you were just welcoming sleep into your dizzy mind when suddenly, a giant hydra or something of the likes jumps out of your bed and eats you alive.

The silence in the Burrow, Nico had decided moments ago, was the comforting kind. The branches of reaching silence were only cut short by the clanging of levitating pots and sizzling oil hissing soundly on top of a pan over the stove.

Moments _later, _however, he quickly decided it was the kind that gave you a fake sense of safety. He shouldn't have expected a non-suspicious kind of quiet in any house Fred and George had stepped in, let alone lived inside for over seventeen years. But he_ definitely _should have known it would never have been a quiet summer with both Hermione _and_ Ron under the Burrow's roof as well. To put all the above shortly, Nico felt like a sitting duck.

A feeling of dread settled down in the pit of his stomach, he looked at Mrs Weasley slowly,

"She…did you say she was.." he gulped here"..upset?"

Mrs Weasleys carefree smile turned into a slight frown. "For the briefest of moments, yes."

"She isn't awake now, is she?" Nico asked, feeling desperation rise in his tone.

"Oh not yet, no." she said, finally turning off the stove, and shoving several pieces of bacon, toast, a jar of marmalade, and a bowl of soup for Harry. She tipped more breakfast onto Nico's plate, muttering about stunt growth as the absentminded son of Hades struggled to give her a strangled note of gratitude as images of what Ron and Hermione would do began flashing across his surprisingly active imagination. She muttered something about making something for Dumbledore, then thinking better of it as she thought of the unpredictability of the old Headmaster. Ah, well. She could always whip him something if he _did _decide to stay out of mere eccentricity.

"Ginny is, though. You've asked about her, haven't you? I'm sorry, dear, I was trying to estimate the amount of food healthy for Harry, I hadn't been paying much attention." She said casually, blissfully unaware of the vividly violent thoughts running thousands of miles by the second across Nico's mind as she washed her hands in the sink and dried her hands on a furry towel.

Nico tried to hush his imagination down, and tell it it was insane because Ron and Hermione would never hurt him- not in front of witnesses at least. He knew he was exaggerating by far- it was only a use of urgent aliases, but he knew the dressing-down Hermione would give him with her illogicaly logical logic would be far worse- she would kill him with common sense, guilt, extreme vocabulary including words he couldn't bother to look up in the dictionary, and pure boredom. He much preffered Ron's method- a red face, yelling words a dictionary can't define, sputtering with rage. He could deal with that. So in a way, really, the colorful images running through his mind were much, much better than what Hermione Granger would do. When Annabeth was upset, she tended to ramble things at the speed of light so that no one would be able to understand what she was saying anyway. When _Hermione _was upset, she would calmly and slowly kill your brain cells with rationality and reason. Nico couldn't decide which method was worse, infinitely. He decided he didn't want to experiment both the processes enough so he could figure that out.

Steering his mind back on track, he forced an indifferent expression on his face, which could have been hard if he hadn't been used to doing it. He focused on other matters- the change from his American-Italian accent to a British one (….when the Stolls and Weasleys found out!..), to how much of an amazing cook Molly Weasley was- even to the odd little clock which had labeled hands. He focused on that and squinted in surprise at the general direction of the hands- the names were so scrambled he could barely make them out. He surveyed the other directions a hand could point- he was quickly reminded of his suffocating situation once his eyes fell upon the 'Mortal Peril' mark, where all the hands were pointing, once again. He quickly diverted his attention away from the Weasley family clock and thought of something else-

"So- Ginny, right?" he said, relieved that he landed on a subject he really did want to talk about. "If she's awake, can I go see her?"

"Of course, she's upstairs- has been staying up late as well. "she clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "I keep telling her it will change her sleep routines, but she doesn't listen."

Nico got up and thanked Mrs Weasley for the breakfast, ignoring her disapproving look at the half-eaten food. She finally agreed to let him go and gave him directions to Ginny's room, but not before forcing a a piece of toast, thickly coated with marmalade, into his hands and telling him to call Ginny down for breakfast if she was fully conscious, please.

Ginny was fully conscious, as Nico discovered after a calm walk up the cramped little Weasley stairs. He looked around warily, as if Hermione could be lurking behind something in the narrow passage way, waiting for raven haired (semi?)necromancers to assault with her advanced vocabulary and a chain of big-words you had to struggle to pronounce. Thankfully, though, there was no one hiding behind anything or willing to torment Nico with a string of difficult adjectives and nouns. The snores coming from Ron's room that he was asleep (he could tell it was his from the hurriedly scribbled label sticking on the door, with three Chudley Cannon chasers zooming around in orange Quidditch robes and tossing about a small, red, quaffle the size of a footb- no, a _soccer_ ball. _Stay American, di Angelo. Stay American. Do NOT surrender to the English._

He froze, though, as a horrifying thought struck him. Hermione must have been bunking with Ginny, though, wasn't she? He couldn't imagine her bunking with _Ron, _well, not when the two of them were so stubborn about admitting their feelings, anyway. But surely Ginny couldn't be awake throughout the night without waking her at some point, right? Nico definitely wasn't counting on Hermione sleeping anywhere as heavily as Ron- but she must sleep at least in an averagely deep manner in Ginny could stay up the night without waking her.

Sometimes, one had to take risks- no matter how drastic they were. Picking up Gryffindor courage, taking a deep breath, steadying his ears for a long lecture, he reached out to the knob, got a hold of it, and opened the door. He peered inside-

His dark eyes immediately landed on the sleeping form of Hermione, who was lying in a bed. On the bed next to hers, was Ginny, holding a magazine and looking bored out of her mind.

Her room was….pink. If there was one thing Nico didn't expect, it was to find Ginevra Weasleys room painted pink. Well, it wasn't _really _pink- more like, it wasn't really pink anymore. Blobs of red paint were randomly scattered across the wall, as if Ginny had suddenly developed a dislike for pink. Then, strips of white were vertically running down one wall, and Nico could only guess that Ginny remembered there was such a thing as whitewashing in the world. Painting didn't seem like it was the youngest Weasley's forte, however, because she was evidently unable to finish the work, making her room look like one of Rachel's creatively expressive paintings

Plastered on her walls were several posters- one of an auburn haired woman with a beater's bat , and one of seven ladies zooming across a green Quidditch pitch. 'HOLYHEAD HARPIES' was written on that one.

Ginny looked up at once, and her face brightened. She looked at Hermione, then and Nico, then again at Hermione before soundlessly tip-toeing away from her frizzy-haired friend. When she was at the doorway, she grabbed Nico's hand, pulled him away, and sealed the door shut with the softest of thuds.

"Hey," she grinned at him, reaching over to give him a hug, which Nico very awkwardly returned.

"Hey," he replied. Ginny's grin only widened.

"You've-"

"Please." Nico begged. "Don't remind me."

Ginny gave him a sly smirk before dragging him off to another room.

Nico didn't have to look at the two beds to know whose bedroom it was. From the scorch marks on the wall, to the fake wands strewn all over the floor, anyone who knew the twins for half a second could easily tell this was their room.

Ginny plopped down on one of the beds and gestured for Nico to follow suit.

"So, I've heard you've saved a muggle girl?" she asked excitedly. "How'd that go? Dad wouldn't keep quiet about it- only mum hasn't heard with all the fuss that's been going on."

"Can we _please _change the subject?" pleaded Nico. Ginny gave him a curious look, but shrugged. She folded her legs and sat more comfortably.

"Yeah…okay. I've heard you've been spending summer with Harry?" she continued slyly, a glint appearing in her eyes.

"Figures you'd ask that." snorted Nico, who knew very well that Ginny had an enormous crush on Harry, despite the fact that she was currently dating Dean Thomas, a fellow Gryffindor.

"Yeah. His aunt and uncle are idiots. I don't know how he stands them, personally. But other than that, nothing."

Ginny nodded. "Good," she said. "But how come you weren't responding to our letters? I've been sending Pig after you for a while, but he's come empty handed- or clawed – everytime, and he's still got a letter."

"We've got too many protective borders around our camp." He said apologetically. "But I think all I have to say wouldn't fit in a letter, anyway."

He told her about Slughorn, his wand breaking, and finally, about the shinning prefect badge concealed in his pocket. Ginny gaped at it.

"Merlin," she breathed. "wait until Neville and Luna know! We've got a Prefect in the group."

"For now," Nico said. "You have a prefect in the group until Hermione gets a hold of him."

Ginny's shocked expression turned into one of pure mirth as she smothered her laughter with great difficulty. She patted Nico sympathetically on the shoulder, but she didn't do a very good job at comforting him as she was giggling all the while.

"Don't worry, Nico." She soothed, her eye twitching from the effort not to burst into laughing Ginny-molecules. "We have a dictionary somewhere here…"

"Enough about my ultimate demise," said Nico, swatting her hand away with a mock-scowl. "How's Fred and George's shop going?"

"They're doing great," Ginny said, still recovering from her laughing fit- or lack thereof. She pointed to the several boxes littering the room. "I'm betting that's some of the stuff they were experimenting with. None of us dared touch anything up until a few days ago. They're full of really strange stuff, these boxes are. But I think they'll tell you if you ask them- the twins really like you."

"They have good taste, then." Nico said with a smirk. One of Fred and George's pillows came flying his way.

**TA-TA! I'm one or two days early! And, I'd like to tell all of you that though I do really enjoy your death threats, I DO have a certain update schedule which says I only update every week or every other week, so you can save your energy and your very, very original threats for when I slide off schedule (looks pointedly at NIA).**

**Also, I'd like to thank all of you for the amazing reviews that absolutely made my day! I can't seem to spot Kero now…wonder what she's doing with her life right now…Eh. Everyone has their own lives.**

**I was raging for a Romione club (MY OTP!) I've joined just a few days ago...and reading. I also read Loot by Jude Watson, which I had ordered about a few months ago. I don't know what that delay was about. Anyway, the fact remains that I got and read the book- and I think it's absolutely amazing. NO, really. I've read it in a day. It wasn't very big- just 266 pages to be exact, and sure, I fell asleep at six AM in the morning because I couldn't put it down all night, but hey, it's totally worth it! If you're looking for a book with criminal masterminds, cursed jewels and prophecies, two lost siblings who find each other, clever schemes, cute pig-tailed hackers, and softies who look like thugs, then LOOT is SO the book for you. You. Loot. NOW. If it helps, Uncle Rick gave it five stars on goodreads!**

**So…I have an announcement to make. If there's something such as 'TFLAR' on your review reply, then it means 'thanks for leaving a review' because I'm honestly tired of repeating that phrase SO MUCH. Also, I managed to remember/get a new username on Pottermore, so here I AM!:**

**RuneHowl27967.**

**Proud Ravenclaw…BOOM! Damn it, the Slytherins won the house cup this year. Again. So, add me on Pottermore!**

**And, I need your opinion or something: which feature shines the brightest in my writing?**

**1-Originiality**

**2- Accurate Description**

**3- Characterization**

**4-…Regular updates?**

**5- Unpredictability**

**Yeah, and this time around, we've got….**

**Ravenclaws: 5**

**Gryffindors: 4**

**Slytherins: 6 (urgh, they're always above!)**

**Hufflepuffs: 4**

**Go on, and tell me exactly which house you're in!**

**So, to my amazing readers, here are your review replies!**

**RRs:**

**NicoIsAwesome:…Where do you get all the cyber stuff? No, seriously. I want some to threaten Rupert Gri- I mean, persuade him to come have dinner with me….Slytherpuff? Now THAT'S a new one. Hehe…I keep getting Gryffinclaw, but I'm a Slytherclaw at heart. Why was your day miserable, tho? A person with a penname as cool as your should have had a nice day!**

**Princess of Flames: Haha, that's ok. Plenty challenges coming next time! I'm doing 'Talk like Hagrid' next chapter. Who's not proud of Nico? We all are! *Waves Solangelo Flag* He's too awesome not to like, that one is. **

**Alealea: *Pheww!* GOODNESS. I've had a thorn stuck in my wrist before- my mother's friend's daughter and I were sitting on the wooden balcony and I accidentally got a small shard stuck in my wrist, and then a day or two later skin grew over it, and she (my mom's friend's daughter…can I just call her a cousin?) told me if it got into my bloodstream it would travel up my arm and to my heart and I would die. Of course, I was plain terrified, so I let her take a needle and pull the little piece o wood out (it was visible). Now, about four years later, I'm realizing just what a sucker I was. Lol. But it was good- I suppose I didn't want to have a piece of balcony wood in my system anyway. Dunno why I'm telling you this. Random, really. Anyway, thanks for leaving a review!**

**Winterlover6: That makes me feel unpredictable :)**

**Unicornbarbi: Welcome, fellow Hogwarts student!**

**Guest: Yes. :) Good guess, there! They don't DESTROY Horcruxes….they just…well, it'll be explained later on.**

**Guest: Aww. Thank you so much. That means, like- a LOT to be. Just being told I'm someone's favorite author makes me get all giddy and happy. I don't know where I'd be without all you guys. Yes, Nico needs his accent BACK! I know he doesn't really have and Italian accent but…Italian accents are so HOT. I just can't help but imagine him with one.**

**ARandomFangirler: Ha. Well, your gamble hit too close to home, lady! …I did NOT need that in my head, thank you very much. Hehe. I know, right? It's like, you become a Gryffindor when you least see it coming! Yes, Pallismera is going to be here. And please, point that knife in another direction…yeah, that's good. Good girl. I'm flattered that you like my OC so much. I just wanted some fun with her- I've never written romance much, and this kind of gave me the opportunity to. Dumbledore is awesome, man. He knows everything ;). Thanks for reviewing!**

**Guest: And he's cute. Don't forget that- all Weasleys are cute ;).**

**Lukas Le Stelle: Hm…Well, I kinda suspected you were a girl because you had a guy name and refused to tell me if you were a girl/guy and that kind of stuff is common for trolls, but I just didn't want to get into the he/she business because I was too lazy to type he/she….Hm. I wonder how my sore fingers will react if I ever got into a long conversation with a bi person. Ow. *Blows on fingers and flexes hand muscles* When are they going to invent a keyboard that can type for itself? Yes, I agree that Nico's non-existent Italian accent (hey, I love it as much as the next person, but he's practically lived in America for over 70 years..) is super sxy and needs to be returned to us, but I enjoy torturing my reviewers ;). **

**Taylor Hepworth: It's a challenge which forces you to speak like Hagrid; kinda like this. Thank yeh fer leavin' a review, Tayler Hep'orth!**

**Haylee: Wooh! Well, I can tell you the first line was close, but not exactly correct…..*Cough*, Look at the Hogwarts houses *cough* Dumbledore's death, *cough* no hope. I do love making those prophecies. The second one is a bit too far. It's not symbolic- the Badger's pride. Badger's a Hufflepuffs. That's all the hints I'm giving yeh! Correct, for the next three lines. GOOD JOB! Ok, I'll give you a hint with the liquid destructor thing- go back to NAH: OP, and read chapter 25. Not all of it. Just the conversation between Alabaster and Lou-Ellen. And yeah, I meant clout, as in, 'power', not 'cloud', as in the fluffy white stuff that I used to thing was that cotton candy was made of. Sorry for the over-description, by the way. I've been reading too much Lemony Snicket the past few days. Thank you so much for that compliment, though! It made my day. You're so nice that I'm beginning to wonder why you're not a Hufflepuff! I'm flattered that I get your longest reviews- that's awesome! I used to think that too, by the way. But that just shows you're modest like a Hufflepuff, quick-minded like a Ravenclaw, ambitious like a Slytherin, and noble like a Gryffindor. You go, girl!**

**(P.S, that was neither. No review is too long to read, and no conversation is long enough to be called a rant!...At least, to me!)**

**Star-Crossed-Rose: Well, that's an excellent question! Dumbledore wants Harry to trust Nico, and that trust will falter by far if Nico knew of something as important the existence of Horcruxes and didn't tell him, so Dumbledore asked him to make sure he didn't know. Nico wouldn't do any research since Hecate told him long before she left that he wasn't to get involved much- only make sure the wizards win. He doesn't aim to destroy Horcruxes, so he wouldn't bother researching them, and he knows there's a reason Dumbledore did not want him to know. Thanks for leaving a review, they always make my day!**

**MarissaTodd: Yes, yes he does. TFLAR!**

**Idon'tneedusernameimdivergent: Ambie thinks Divergent's name is pretty hilarious. She applauds her for taking the challenge. Ambie also thinks that Ravenclaws should rule the world. YAAAY! BLUE AND BRONZE FOR DA WIN! She would like to thank divergent for leaving a review and ask her if the Divergent series is good.**

**Neon Wish Loves Peach Trees: Thanks for leaving a review, as always! And I think British accents r cute 3. **

**TALAHULA! REVIEW BECAUSE IT MAKES AMBIE HAPPY, AND WHEN AMBIE'S HAPPY, SHE WRITES LONG CHAPTERS!**


	13. What does it mean?

_**Nico at Hogwarts, Year 6: More Than a Half Blood Prince**_

**_The Sixth Year Prefect_**

**_Part: 4_**

When danger looms above one's head, several reactions are sometimes extracted depending on the person on whom the danger is above, and the danger itself. For example, you could be a sailor in a small, rickety, unstable row-boat, and then it would make perfect sense to panic. You could also be a baker who spends his or her day baking goods in front of a fire, and then happen to accidentally set your entire bakery aflame. Then it would be perfectly sensible to feel terrified, and maybe also appreciate the bitter sense of irony. Or, above all else, you could be a son of the Greek god of the Underworld, but you're distraught because a witch with a traumatizing large vocabulary and a lashing tongue was probably after you because you used her last name, mashed up with the first name of a wizard you know she fancies, as an alias in order not to be recognized during an interview for a local Newspaper. Then it would make sense to feel doomed.

Ginny and Nico talked for a while. Ginny told Nico about what was going on with Luna and Neville over the summer, and he had to admit it felt good to half-connect to the wizarding world after a month. It had all seemed like a dream at first, just like he felt after discovering Bianca and he were demigods, but then after seeing the Burrow and actually talking to a few of his friends, the world of wizards and witches was beginning to solidify again. It wasn't as though he never thought of wizarding Britain back at the Camps, but it was somewhat only a side-thought. Just looking forward to summer with Harry and such, as he helped Will store the left-over potions Hecate children had left behind for emergencies, or as he practiced dueling in the arena just to keep up with his reflexes. It seemed like Hogwarts had problems of its own, while Camp Half-Blood was sinking in a sea of monsters the half-bloods had no idea how to deal with. Hogwarts was a great place, but though quite only recently has it lived up to the title, Camp was more or less Nico's home.

Try as he might to let the Greek and Roman world be pushed to the back of his mind, it just kept rushing back into his thoughts like a stubborn boomerang when he least expected it. Nevertheless, he talked to Ginny as casually as he could manage without showing something was wrong, and managed a slight smirk when she refused to go down to breakfast saying her mother only needed an excuse to get her down from her room and into the kitchen so she could scold her without having to climb up there herself. Downstairs Nico could hear Harry and (Dumbledore's?) footsteps making their way into the kitchen after a short while, so they lowered their voice so as not to be heard and accidentally interrupt something.

Of the things Nico learnt from Ginny was that Fleur, a pretty French girl who had participated in something called the Triwizard Tournament, was engaged to her older brother, Bill, whom Nico had only seen briefly before. She made it very clear that she did not approve of this one bit.

"What's the Triwizard Tournament," Nico had asked, finding a subject of interest. The story turned out to be much longer than he expected.

Last year, he faintly remembered Susan Bones from Hufflepuff and a few others list a few things Harry, Ron, and mostly Hermione did over the years. But when Ginny described them to him, she did so in such amazing detail (with an occasional sigh of admiration) that he felt as though he'd never really heard any reference to them before.

"Wow," Nico said the time Ginny finished with the Triwizard Tournament.

"Wow, indeed." She said grimly, but then gave him a small smile and examined his reaction.

"Wait, so, Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved a gold-making, life-reserving stone from your two-headed Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, whose second head also happened to be Voldemort?"

"…Yep."

"And then, when they were twelve, Ron and Harry snuck into a Chamber, with a big snake which can kill with a look, to save you. And then Harry slayed the thing with a sword?"

Ginny shifted uncomfortably here. "Yeah, I guess so." She muttered.

"And then in his third year, when Sirius escaped Azkaban, he….ran after Peter Pettigrew, who was incidentally Ron's rat for the last three years and Percy's for the last nine ones, and that led them to a black dog which turned out to be Sirius in animagus form, but they didn't know then, and then Lupin came along, add to it Snape, and…." Nico paused, and looked at Ginny. She shrugged at him.

"Ron didn't tell me anything further." She admitted. Nico frowned in annoyance. It was quite confusing.

"All right. And then Harry, curse his not-so-lucky-stars, somehow gets put in a Tournament when he's fourteen, although he's not supposed to be in it until he's seventeen, and for some reason people seem to think he managed to break an age-line _Dumbledore _put up, but are unconcerned by how suspicious the circumstances are. And your other DADA teacher, Professor Moody, turns out not to be Professor Moody at all, but instead Barty Crouch Jr- who just also happens to have his father's first name which made Harry less suspicious as he looked into a map which can show everyone and everything in school, one he hadn't previously told me about- another man thought dead, was disguising as Moody and he put Harry's name in the Goblet?" He finished, gaping.

Ginny just stared at him with a blank look that said; 'Well, duh, I just told you that, didn't I?'

"I'm both impressed and disappointed." Nico said truthfully, although flatly. "Impressed that he managed to steal stones, kill basilisks, chase after convicts, and battle dragons, somewhat outsmart merfolk, and make his way through a maze, dueling Tom Riddle as well, I might add. And I'm disappointed no one seems to take his seriously when he asks for help."

Ginny nodded, though she gave Nico a quizzical look when he mentioned Tom's first name.

"Well, Harry doesn't seem to have the best luck." Ginny said carefully, twirling around a blue fake wand she found in one of Fred and George's boxes. It did nothing and didn't seem to work the way it should have, and although it wasn't exactly edible, Nico briefly considered grabbing it for Percy.

Nico snorted. "Understatement of the millennium." At least demigod quests weren't that complicated. And rarely any demigod below the age of fourteen set out on a guest, Percy, Bianca and Annabeth disregarded.

Ginny's lips twitched in a weak smile. "Well," she said, standing up. "I'll let you fall back now. Mum said yesterday, you could sleep in Fred and George's room. Ron and Harry are already bunking with each other- they always do when Harry comes over, and now that the twins are gone and busier than ever, there's no reason to cram you in."

"And if I blow up and end up in itsy little Nico molecules?" Nico asked warily, not believing his own luck. Ginny smiled almost evilly, though Nico thought he'd have to give her a few suggestions on the way she quirked her lips and the raising of her eyebrow.

"The Weasley family is not to be held responsible in that occasion." she smirked, closing the door behind her.

Nico raised his head toward the ceiling and sighed.

"Happy now, Fates?" he demanded drily.

Apparently, they weren't.

-o-

Fred and George's room was a curious thing. It was a while before Nico could sleep again- he kept looking around, poking at cardboard boxes with fake wands before they exploded into confetti or turned into rubber dodos. But, rest in it was more comfortable than it was supposed to be. His dreams were peaceful that night, without all the crazy demigod thoughts rushing through it. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to have those anymore.

But sleep was a temporary escape from all his worries- the feeling of responsibility toward the monster attacks in Camp Half-Blood, and the stress of theorizing when it would happen to Camp Jupiter, as well (although Camp Half-Blood was hidden in deep woods people rarely dared to cross, Camp Jupiter was still infinitely harder to find, and with a surprisingly fresh strength to its defense borders….Or maybe the monsters just didn't feel like going to California yet). The thought that he would be utterly helpless without his powers made him both frustrated and uneasy, the fact that Dumbleldore told him his magic was weak but still there notwithstanding.

Nico was used to defying the odds, and that day, he slept peacefully and quietly in one of the least peaceful places to be found at Ottery St Catchpole.

The next, morning, Nico was relieved to note that all his limbs were still attached to his body and that they hadn't been blown apart by one of Fred and George's stray inventions.

He was not, relieved, however, to see as he sat up in bed and stretched, a tall brunette with bushy hair leaning against the doorway, her hands on her hips and he feet tapping the floor in rhythm, her eyes glinting. Nico winced. _Granger danger,_ the alarm bells in his mind yelled.

"Oops?" he said, as apologetically as he could manage, though it was rather hard to sound rueful when you wake up. Hermione dodged her way through the boxes and reached over to grab him by the ear.

-O-

"Is she done with you?" Ron asked, flipping a page of the book he was holding. Usually, Ron Weasley voluntarily reading a book just plainly yelled out either; 'imperioused!' or 'imposter!' or even, 'apocalypse!'. But Nico could clearly see the glinting title, 'Charming Young Witches' on the back of the hard-cover. Part of him wondered if Ron was being subtle on purpose.

"Sort of," Nico said, rubbing his ear. "What do 'acquiescence', 'inconsistency ', 'censure', and 'conscientious ' mean?"

"I think the Dictionary's somewhere in the Living Room." Ron said casually, flipping another page.

"Aren't you going to have a go?" asked Nico drily, though the answer was the rather obvious.

Ron closed his book and looked up. "Okay," he said. "Nico, don't use my name without permission in a published article, because Ronald Granger…er, doesn't have a ring to it." He blushed quietly and made to reach for the book. It was evident he thought Nico had had enough of Hermione's rambling, and after she was set lose on him, even Ron found it impractical to try another tactic to get the message along.

"It's not like I could use the name Hermione Weasley," Nico blurted in a brief moment of courage before the slamming the door to Ron's room shut and escaping quickly down the hallway.

-O-

"You're sure?

"Yep,"

"Really sure? I mean-"

"Annabeth," Rachel sighed, letting go of the drapes she was currently playing with. "I'm not getting any prophetic moments, am I? You know the gods have been wary about prophecies ever since the Giant War." Rachel refrained from saying that she had accidentally given Lou Ellen a prophecy. For a brief moment she bit her lip in though, and wondered if that was unfair, but she quickly reminded herself that she wasn't in control of when and when not prophecies danced their way out of her mouth. Besides, she didn't even consent to it- Lou just came rushing down to her cave, asking for a prophecy. Rachel didn't honestly believe she was able to give one, but Lou wouldn't let her, and so she let her try to order her inner-Oracle around so she could convince herself that the prophecy train was out of fuel. But, as usual, the Fates seemed to have been, as usual, decided that Rachel's life lacked a good dose of sarcasm.

"But I've been"

"Having the same dream over and over again, ever night since Christmas last year?" Rachel asked, repeating Annabeth's words from memory with a look that indicated sympathy.

"Not every night," muttered Annabeth. "Gods know I wouldn't be able to bear it, then. Just…sometimes?'

"Hm..sometimes?" Rachel said, standing up and walking to an oven Leo had built for her on Christmas. Inside was a plate of frosted cookies Rachel had designed herself. She set them atop the low round table and retook her seat at Annabeth's side, offering her cookies. Annabeth nibbled halfheartedly on a strawberry-frosted one.

"Maybe it's symbolic?" Rachel asked, taking one with chocolate frosting, pistachio nuts, and sprinkles on top- it was her masterpiece. "The Oracle of Delphi may not be much help now, but I know a girl called Rachel Dare who's been studying prophetic runes, symbols, and horoscope signs."

Annabeth gave her a weak smile, but it faltered as soon as it came, and Rachel frowned. Not many things could upset someone as strong as Annabeth, but the idea that a simple dream (simple for demigods, that is) could be so disturbingly vivid so as to leave her friend distressed nearly sent a shiver up Rachel's spine. The Oracle inside her tingled at the signs of prophecy, but it felt like the spirit of the Oracle within her was almost tied down restrained, yet still somewhat there which served as both a mystification and a relief.

"So," Rachel said, putting down her cookie and trying to look as serious and comforting as she could at the same time. "is there a special pattern to your dreams? Like, do they only happen when it's a full moon, or at a certain day of a week, or a few selected days in the month? Or does t have something to do with the weather?"

Annabeth set down her own barely-touched cookie, and her stormy gray eyes looked like a raging ocean like they often did when she was thinking hard about something.

"None of these particular patterns." Annabeth finally said tiredly propping her forehead on her palm. She opened her mouth to say something when an annoyingly familiar voice interrupted them.

"Commander Annabeth to the borders, Annabeth Insert-Middle-Name-Here Chase to Camp Borders," called the dramatic voice of Leo as he walked in with a red rectangle pressed to his lips, probably the device he was using to magnify his voice. It took Rachel a second to realize what it was.

"Leo," Annabeth said cautiously, her worries vanishing for a moment to leave a vacant space for her incredulity to fill. "is that a phone you're using? You, using a phone, when we're trying to draw as less attention from the monsters as possible?" Her surprise was pushed aside by a hurricane of fury.

"It's not a phone, it's prototype….phone-thingy." Leo said, as if the word 'prototype' made all the difference in the world. "Besides, we don't even know if magical monsters can sense signals. Nico didn't say they would- but we can ask the Stoll to tell him when Mrs O'Leary pops to give them their ride to England. The point is, Annabeth, it's your turn to guard the boundaries." Leo set down his phone and his voice was back to its normal, equally annoying tone. "Percy and….uhm, what's his name? That son of Hermes who recalibrated the onagers during the Battle?"

Rachel and Annabeth thought for a moment. They both knew the demigod, but his name was really hard to remember. Rachel snapped her fingers in remembrance. "Ooh, Cecil, right?"

"Ooh, yeah," Annabeth nodded. "His name is so hard to remember for some reason." They all stood in silence for a moment and exchanged nods before Leo raised his phone up to his mouth again and began speaking. "Annabeth Chase, Annabeth Chase to report to the pine tree that is not Thalia with Percy and whatshisname again?"

"Cecil," Rachel reminded Leo.

"And Cecil!"

Annabeth stared blankly for a second before standing up and giving Rachel a grateful hug like she was used to doing by then.

"Thanks," Annabeth muttered.

"Anytime," Rachel smiled and offered Annabeth the plate of cookies. The daughter of Athena smiled and took one randomly, maneuvering herself around Leo and out of the cave. Leo watched Annabeth go, then stuffed his phone into his pocket and shifted his attention to Rachel, and then the floral-patterned plate in her hands.

"Can I have some?" Leo asked bluntly.

**Heeeeellllo, helllllo, hello! Well, for those of you who are disappointed by there not being a Hermione-scolding-Nico scene, I might add that next chapter. Sorry for the delay, you guy, but it's been busy lately, and life is life. On one hand, I found two awesome book stores near my home and I just started reading Divergent (P.S Kero, they didn't have Lord of the Rings. HA!)**

**Which reminds me, do you guys see that awesome cover image I have right there? Kerowyn6 drew it! It's so amazing, right? It's of Pallismera. I'd just like to publicly say, thank you so, so much for the amazing painting. It means a lot. Really. Please give a round of virtual applause to Kero and make her know how awesome she is.**

**I have a pretty tough schedule this time of the month, and quality is what I care about most in my writing, so if I update late it just means I'm not quite satisfied with my writing and am re-writing/revising my work. So…I can either give you a long chapte- 20!r once a month with good quality, or a relatively short one every week but with a considerably good quality rate, or a long but crappy chappie everyday. So…well, I have limited options.**

**And, I'd like to give a shout out to: PRINCESS OF FLAMES AND HAYLEE, WHO HAVE THEIR FINALS COMING UP SOON! *CONFETTI BLAST* Good luck, gals!**

**So, again, thank you so much everyone for the suspiciously tremendous amount of reviews I got for the last chapter, which is 20, more than I've ever gotten per chapter. I usually get about 10, but this is just amazingly insane of you guys, thanks! That's part of the reason why I was so giddy with happiness that I added the bonus scene in Rachel P.O.V (I've always wondered how it would be like to write her).**

**We've got…..:**

**SLYTHERINS: (Damn it, those snakes keep winning) 9**

**HUFFLEPUFFS:4**

**RAVENCLAWS:8**

**GRYFFINDORS: 4**

**Damn it, Slytherins, stop multiplying so much!**

**RRs!:**

**Princess of Flames: Aw, sorry Angel. I was a bit tired when I wrote the last chapter- but hey, I sent you a Pottermore friend request! I can't believe your nationality, though (not gonna spread it around for your privacy). Did you know my best friend EVER in the whole crazy world is from there? That just makes me like you more. NOOOO! NO, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SLYTHERIN! NOOO! Thanks for your reassurance, they really helped! I feel like Hermione and Annbeth are different on many levels, but people just don't care to notice them. And…GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FINALS! *CONFETTI* Thanks, again, for leaving a review!  
**

NicoIsAwesome:….Er, don't kill me please? Also, that's so unfair? Why didn't you stand up for yourself? That's why I mostly like working alone- because I don't want to rely on a bunch of people who may or may not be able to take the responsibility of their actions. I'd only work with a close friend of mine if I had to, really. Anywhos, I'm not sure which review you didn't sign, so just skim through the guest reviews, can ya?

Guest: Thank you! I love crazy reviews, they just make my day, and Italian accents are just so sizzling hot, aren't they? But I think Spanish accents are the hottest. Thanks for reviewing!

Chrisco47773385: Yessir!

Hunter of Artemis11: Thanks, HoA! For ,being a Ravenclaw and not a Slytherin!...and oh, for leaving a review and all that. *Shrug*. It's ok, everyone has their personal lives!

Alealea: Haha, will action's coming along next chapter! Thanks for leaving a review and your opinions!

Kero: YAAY, KERO'S BACK! *Virtual hug* Oh, sorry. Didn't know you were Abnegation. Are you? Hm…Anywhos, yes, Kero, Ambie know it doesn't make sense to suddenly speak in an English accent randomly, but she was desperate to add that in. She supposes it isn't very good literature in general, but it was fun to sew into the plot.

I've found a free pdf and read the beginning. It has to do with some strange names given to a guy, But now I have the pdf. Is the book good? Oh, and I found a good library near my home! Yay! But the only Tolkien books they had were Two Towers and The Return of the King, though I'm pretty sure I saw the Hobbit sitting on a shelf somewhere. Ahh….well, Ambie tends to put in sarcasm more than philsosphy, but not that she's finished all the SoUE books (no matter how disappointing and painful the one-star ending was) she knows how to whisk the two together. TFLaR, Kero!

Guest: Haha, I love enthusiastic people. So…yes, I try to include as much side-characters as I can- which is to say, it was what motivated me to add Lacy of Aphrodite, Malcom of Athena, Helen of Troy…oh, wait…Lou Ellen of Hecate, Alabaster of Hecate, and, now, Cecil of Hermes! Yay! Glad yeh like this chapt'r, an' I hope yeh liked this 'un as well."

Taylor Hepworth: Sure I'll read them! Why not? I'm glad something I did makes you- or anyone at all – laugh. Thanks fer leavin' a review!

GrimCreeper**: **Aw, quit it! That was….AGES ago…..like, two days ago.

Guest: Ooh, yeah, not I can tell you're NIA. Well, Bill Gates is a genius (somewhat) but he still doesn't have cyber equipment!

ARandomFangirler: Haha, yah! And sorry, that was a mistake, I meant to say; Illogical_ly_ logical logic, which means logic that is so logical that it is not logical possible to be as logical as said logic. Get it?

…I like scones.

Haha! I just wanted to see how many difference Hermione and Annabeth have. I do feel like Hermione resorts more to mental attacking that physical assault, except for that scene in PoA where she punches Malfoy (yay!) and then in DH with pinching Ron (…yay?)

Nuh-uh, don't you wave that stick at me, lady! I have enough threats to last me for a life. And dunt worry, I get the pun, hun!

THERE IS NO such thing as annoying Ambie. You can never annoy me. Nothing does. …Except losing at flappy bird and watching Nyan Cat.

Haylee: I know, right! I'm weird around darkness. Sometimes it's okay with me, sometimes not. Well, if you mean why Molly didn't notice the clock (your review doesn't say who you're referring to) then, actually, in canon, she did. She pointed it out to Harry and Dumbledore and I thought I should leave that bit out. It's OK- I don't talk much, either. I'm only chatty with my best friend in the entire world who is now a continent away from me. Sad, I know, but thank God for mobile phones! Good luck on your finals, and get ready to score high marks! Or eeelllsse….

MarissaTodd: Noooo! Not another SLYTHERIN!

(P.S TFLaR)

Pandasaur727: Thanks for your opinions and review, pandasaur!

DragonsBlue: Thanks! And, well, if someone used your name with you crush's first/last name as an alias, wouldn't you be mad? Besides, it's Hermione, who in their right sense wouldn't be afraid of her?

Lukas Le Stelle: Yeah, yeah, stuff it, Slytherin! Before long, us Ravenclaws will be sweeping he floors with your snakey dignity! Hah! (Is that a good insult? The Egyptians use it a lot) Aw, trust YOU to be the strangest combination of houses! Are you Slytheirn and Hufflepuff minds clashing against each other constantly? Since everyone seems to insist I'm a Gryffinclaw, I guess my brain fights against idiocy and logic now and then.

WOOAH! I know where you live since I added you on Pottermore! Now I'm gonna stalk you and….Ah, damn, my GPS just broke. Forget I said anything. Yes, go find a Solangelo club like I found a Romione one ;D.

Wanna see the gruesome tactics and cruel language Hermione uses in her lecture? Subscribe! I mean, tweet…er, sorry, review.

SeaLion37: That's a great idea, but I don't think it'll fit into the plot! Maybe I can have Hazel be introduced to the others, just not at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is Nico's priority throughout this fic, and always will be.

Star-Crossed-Rose: Haha, well yeah, Hermione is as tough as a nut shell! And as nutty as one, too..Man, I wish there were more females like her in the world, don't you?

Nuh-uh. Cannon, SCR, cannon. It is a fickle foe. Where was I? Oh yeah, Ginny hit Nico with that pillow 'cause he was bragging. And…well…*twiddles thumbs* MAYBE….BUT, I also read a lot of 39 Clues books by Jude Watson, so I knew she was a good writer, which is definitely part of the reason I saved up my pocket money for the book. Right now, I'm reading Divergent and I'm stuck hopelessly in Catching Fire.


	14. Chapter 14

Philosophical openings are often hard to come by. Like a hockey play-ground purely made of ice cream, or a politician who respects others' opinions. Fortunately for Nico, his day went by un-philosophically after the little incident that morning (except that Ron kept shooting him glares).

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly. Hermione was her normal self again, and she acted as though nothing had happened between them. Nico wasn't sure whether or not the appreciate that, but he decided that as long as she didn't start using big-words on him, he was grateful.

Nico had met Fleur and Bill (again, in Bill's case). Fleur, who had long white-blonde hair and silver-y eyes _was _kind of pretty, but she only seemed to have eyes for Bill, who looked just as Nico remembered him- long red hair, a fair build, a tan complexion from staying long hours under the Egyptian sun, and all in all, an aura about him that just yelled: COOL.

Nico still like Charlie more than Bill- partly because he'd actually gotten to talk with Charlie for a while, and partly because taming dragons was just spot on wicked.

In a few moments of her acquaintance, however, Nico knew immediately where Ginny's dislike for Fleur came from. She was nice, but there was something about her that was way too…patronizing. Superior. As if she felt they were just a few kids who'd shut up and get out of the way if she gave them some candy, or _bon bons, _as the French term went.

After exchanging a few words with her, Nico found her slightly annoying, and made a point to stay out of her way. He didn't like being labeled as a kid in anyone's eyes.

However, the day did have some ups to come along with its downs- he'd told the others about the Prefect badge Dumbledore had offered him to go with the new duty. Admittedly, he was a bit skittish about that, but Hermione was ecstatic. He was already sharing a few classes with her- like Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies, and, of course, Care of Magical Creatures from last year, and the prospect of him becoming a prefect, too, seemed to somewhat excite her. She didn't breathe another word about their little encounter and the whole Ronald-Granger thing. Ron had acted pretty dumbfounded and had needed time to process what had just happened.

Yep. A mixed bag of a day.

He was talking to Ginny as they walked up the stairs- Harry, Ron, and Hermione were occupying Fred and George's room a lot more than Nico himself did- he'd convinced Ginny to let them do their trio-thing, but when they heard a loud _POOF! _noise from behind the door, they shared a look, nearly dropping the fresh towels Mrs Weasley had told them to put in the bathroom upstairs, and rushing to see what was going on.

Hermione stood there, coughing with a look of disbelief on her face- one of her eyes was swollen an glued shut, and her mouth was gaping open.

"Hermione!" Everyone in the room said simultaneously. For the first time, Nico's attention drifted to Hermione's hands- she was carrying a strange-box thing which she immediately dropped.

"It-it _punched _me!" she said, her voice quiet with shock.

Ginny carefully placed the towels on one of the twins' bed, but took one and handed in to Hermione, who winced slightly and pressed it against her eye. It wasn't anything professional- the towel wouldn't really do anything, and Nico knew that perfectly well from hours in the Infirmary with a certain son of Apollo, as there was no blood or anything, and the towels themselves weren't cold.

_Sometimes, little things just give you comfort,_ he remembered Will saying one time while they were working together. The soft fabric of the towel must have been a small mercy to Hermione's now swollen eye.

"Let's just agree not to touch anything else in the twins' room, OK?" said Ron, wincing. Nico couldn't help but notice he was holding Hermione's hand quite unnecessarily.

"Come on," Ginny said, holding on to Hermione's arm. "Mum has a healing kit somewhere downstairs."

-O-

"South we move?" asked one of her quest partners.

"Aye, aye." Lou Ellen agreed, rummaging through her rucksack and sighing. "We've got two rashers of bacon, those Reese's Peanut Butter Cups we've bought at Walmart-" she glared at Kye, obviously complaining about the wastage of money.

"They're Reese's Cups." He said simply, as if that excused his actions.

"Why is a rasher called a rasher?" wondered her other quest-mate. "I mean, it's never a rasher of anything else but bacon- seems to me like they just wanted to create a new word or something. Like, they could just say 'a bunch of bacon', or even 'a quantity, or a bouquet."

"A boquet, Tiffany?" Kye asked incredulously. "Thanks- now I have the mental image of bacon in a flower bouquet. And it's making me hungry."

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. _Of all the Hecate children, _she thought still rather annoyed at..well…_everything. _It was all so _abrupt. _She'd never really been on a quest before. Like, never. At least not until that unjustified one she'd taken last year, but she didn't like to think about it. The golden-colored Exilir, which was strapped across her waistline and hidden cleverly, seemed to grow heavier all of a sudden at just the thought. She fully understood the damage such a potion could cause, but somehow, it still felt…important. Essential. Vital. Significant, and whatever other synonym the word 'important' had.

The cold and felt sharp and numbing across her face and palms. Tiffany took up that frying pan she always insisted on bringing with her for some reason, and Kye started setting a fire to some kindle huddled together in a pathetic excuse for a circle.

Although she'd never been on a quest before, Lou wondered if that was how it felt to be on one- exciting, yet somewhat tiresome. Sometimes you had to move, and sometimes you just had to stay passive and go with flow. The latter was dull and boring, especially considering they hadn't really changed out of that phase because they had literally _no _idea where to go from there.

Chiron separated the entire Hecate cabin- because they needed to all go. What Chiron knew, but what the others didn't, was that their magic was unstable. The only other demigod to know this was Hazel Levesque, and only because the others feared hers would go astray, too. Hazel agreed to keep her mouth shut about why they needed an entire Cabin for a quest, but she'd refused to go. She wanted to stay and protect Camp.

In a way, all of them did. But it was only for Camp's safety that they left in the first place. And to find their mom, who had chosen this moment, at the brink of a war, to disappear mysteriously. Lou Ellen was seriously beginning to think the goddesses liked disappearing during wars. Or maybe Hera had started some new trend when she got kidnapped back in the days of the Giant War.

Kye kept whining about being hungry as Tiffany grabbed Lou's rucksack without permission – like she'd been doing for a while after asking once or twice –and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Can you turn this into oil?" she asked. "I don't think I can spare any magic. I'm exhausted."

"I can do it." Kye offered, perking up.

"No." Lou and Tiffany said. They'd learnt the first few times that Kye tended to make things blow up when he was too excited. Lou was actually kind of glad he didn't come with them when they were back at the Hall of Prophecies, or when Hecate, their mother, had given them her last message before disappearing.

_Lead my best children to the Hall, _she'd told her in her dream. Her voice was soft, close, yet so far away. _Fix the mess. Leave evidence, but be sure to keep the magic of the prophecies stable._

Why, Lou thought glumly, as she had asked her mother prior.

She'd smiled, but her smile also seemed far away. It seemed…forced.

_You're blessed, Lou Ellen. By not just I. Keep your brother's parting gift safe. _Her smile had faltered. As if she hadn't really wanted to say what she did. And then..she was gone. Vanished. Lou felt it- every camper in Hecate felt it, and they still did. A hole in their chests- their magic, flooding free, but somehow restrained. Because magic connected them with each other. They knew when one of them would be missing- Lou knew where to find Alabaster. Her siblings would know where to find her, if they wanted. And they knew they would have to go find Hecate, because she was needed in this war.

It was merely an instinct, what they followed. Intuition. And so they scattered across the globe, searching for…something.

Lou sighed as she put her hand over the bottle, closing her eyes- she felt energy draining out of her fingertips, like a punctured container, or a car with all its fuel- all that kept it running –slowly leaking out its tank. The crystal-clear liquid had swirls of dark yellow which kept rushing to the surface. Lou Ellen opened her eyes. She'd turned half of the bottle into oil, which floated atop the water, but she was too exhausted to do any more transfiguring.

"O…K." Tiffany said. "I guess that'll do. We can have a bouquet of bacon for breakfast. Again."

"Hooray!" Kye said sarcastically.

-O-

They were sitting in the the Burrow's little kitchen, having a 'snack' as Mrs Weasley had insisted they do. Hermione had an ice-pack for her eye, although it was no longer swollen. She'd insisted it still stung a bit.

"I hate to think what Travis and Connor will do if they get their hands on that." Nico said.

"Are they those other crazy pair of twins Fred and George kept talking about?" Ron said.

"No," said Nico. "Travis and Connor aren't twins. Travis is a year older than Connor. "

"I don't even know how they get around to charming that stuff." Ginny scoffed, poking her bacon sandwich in boredom. "They only got three OWLs each."

"OWLs!" Hermione said, her voice high-pitched. "Oh-oh, we forgot to say- they're supposed to be arriving today!" Her eyes forgotten, Hermione dropped the pack and turned to them, panic-stricken.

"Well, they're not going to be arriving _now,_" Harry said.

Ron shook his head and pointing over his best friend's head. "Think again, mate."

**I'm sorry if it's short. It's not that I don't know where to go from here, but it's just…well, this seemed like a good place to stop. Had I written any more than I have, it would have decreased the chapter's quality dramatically. I'm serious. Sometimes you just have to stop.**

**I'm a little tired with the OCs, but I had to create at least two now. I hope you guys aren't mad. I swear I'll write a longer chapter though- no, really!**

**To make it up to you, I have two little surprises- one is a contest of sorts- here's the deal. Send me any quote. **_**ANY quote, **_**in your review, and if yours is good, I can guarantee it'll be in the next chapter. Only five will make it there, just so you guys know.**

**I want a Reese's Cup. Like, right now. I haven't eaten one in…how long exactly?**

**Honestly- who of you guys caught the 'A Very Potter Musical' reference in the last chapter? Be honest! Anyone caught a Tiffany Aching reference?**

**Anywho, here's for the second surprise: you can ask me, **_**anything. Really. **_**Even if you want a spoiler, although I wouldn't recommend it cuz that will ruin the fanfic for you. Personal, normal, spoiler-y. Just whatever.**

**Did you guys read the first chapter of Magnus Chase? It had Annabeth in it! *SQUEEE!* PM so we can fangirl/boy about it if you wish! **

**DID YA CATCH THE DISCWORLD REFERENCE? NO? *sobs***

**Now, I'm moving on to the RRs:**

**(P.S, we have two more Slytherins amongst us -.-)**

**NicoIsAwesome: CONGRATZ! I never really study much. I mean, I try to, but I just…well, it's SO hard. They manage to make even the best facts boring and dull. Kinda like Binns. I'll see the vid, thanks. And I'm still counting on you telling me where you got all that cyber-stuff, k? Haha! You looked up the words! The story's gonna be gen. NO pairings for Nico. Er…that sound good?  
**

**Shadowell: Oh God, not ANOTHER ONE!**

**Sleepyme123: Lol. That name, though. OH, MAN. Slytherins. Again. What happened to the eagels, everybody? Cool ninja stars! I gotta try that meme sometime.**

**KEROWYN6: Oh, there you are! Well, weeks do tend to get busy when we're not looking. Hm.. LOL. Not really- they had a lot of other cool books. And uncool books. Like Twilight and 50 Shades of Puke- I mean, Grey. **

**Yeah, I read the first book. Pretty good. 3.7 stars. I'd pick Amity. Erutide, sure, but I don't really value knowledge more than I value actual, solid intelligence. That's what Ravenclaws are all about. I agree about Dauntless. The whole time I kept thinking **_**The hell with all the guns. **_**I hate guns. **

**Yeah, I listen to the first ep! Or part of it, anyway. So…Cecilos lives in a desert and there's this old batty lady with four angels, three white and one black, and there's a basketball team and its rival. And then there's the Carlos dude- why do I feel like he won't stick around for long? At first I couldn't tell whether Cecilos was describing Carlos or mocking him, but then he said 'I fell in love..' and I was like, **_**OOOH. **_**It's funny, really. I stopped somewhere near when they were talking about the house that didn't exist. I'll have to continue from where I left off.**

**You never told me Tiffany Aching is Discworld 30. At first it was kinda weird, but then it got funny and smart. I'm still reading The Wee Free Men. That reference was for you :D**

**You see all the praise people are giving you? Check the review section for last chappie if you wanna have a self-esteem boost or summat L:D (dude with a beard and a hat)**

**Well, don't judge me. *Stubborn face*. I didn't know what people who consider 'big' words, so I just whipped out some random ones. It helps that I know what they mean, so I thought it'd be good if I used words that weren't too hard (like the faction names) that they were unrecognizable, but not too easy so as to be commonly known. **

**I want a Reese's Cup,**

**-Ambs**

**Finwitch1: I don't honestly think Nico will bother looking the words up in the Dictionary. Lol. Yeah, well, Nico can read English now- his dyslexia's temporarily on a vacation (see Chapter 7). Reasons will be explained. **

**Um…what?  
**

**LOL. I doubt Binns can sign a paper…How can he even mark papers? Hm…**

**Guest: Great! Thanks for reviewing. (British accents vs American accents?)**

**Taylor Hepworth: Sure, I'll update that. I'm just deciding where to go from there. Well…I DO hope it's not as disappointing as the end of the Maze Runner Trilogy. Man, that one was bad. TFLaR!**

**A Random Fangirler: LOL. I was having SO much fun, reading that dialogue! Thanks! Um..I don't really like jam. Or cream. Unless, of course, it's whipped cream. I ONLY like cookie scones. COOKIE SCONES. Which are STILL WARM. I add everyone who requests, so I probably added you, too!**

**Mera has blond hair. Kero likes dark hair, so she drew her that way. But as long as you like her, you can imagine Pallismera as a talking elephant for all I care. LOL. **

**(I caught your pun!) **

**Hermione: Why do people keep comparing me to this Annabeth person?  
Me: I dunno, Hermione. You're not very much alike.**

**Magnus: Yeah, Annabeth's my cousin. I should know.**

**Me:…..You haven't seen her for ten years.**

**Magnus: That's beside the point.**

**Me: But- but she was in Boston according to the first chapter! Looking for you! And then you broke into Randolph's house and-**

**Magnus: Shhhhh. Spoiler. Wait until October.**

**Me: *Sobs*.**

**BYE BYE!  
**

GuestWithSugar: I love sugar, too. I love it so much I would marry it, except then I'd eat it later and I'm sure it's illegal to eat your husband. Ok. That was kinda weird. Sorry. I'll write the Hermione scene as a bonus next time. Really. I'll TOTALLY friend you, though! TFLaR!

Princess of Flames: WEEEEEELLL…..Maybe I'm subconsciously waiting for all of my faves to review, but I don't let their delay stop me from updating. I have a very strict update schedule which I'm proud to say I've never strayed from. I know about all the HP/PJO debates. These are plain stupid. PJO is a fandom on its own, and HP is a whole 'nother thing. They're different. I'll always like Harry Potter more, but Rick R. remains my favorite author of all time. Annie and Hermy r different *sniff* Y u no see dat, peeps? I know what you mean, LOL. I have an accent, too. Kero is a girl, btw. A really cool one, too. Anyway, TFLaR!

Lukas Le Stelle: Haha, you have a puppy! Aw! That's like, adorable! But I will forever be a cat personal.

Sirius: What?

McGonagall: *smirk*

….Hisss. Stay away! I've got a rooster!

Neon Wish Loves Peach Trees: YAY! YOU CAUGHT THE REFERENCE!


	15. A Mixed Bag?

GUYS. I'M DONE. I'M GIVING UP- I HIT A DEAD END AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO WITH THIS. I'M REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, SORRY. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN AMAZING- I MEAN IT. BUT I…

I had to do that. (I'm rofling right now- but not really). SORRY! I couldn't resist! I'm bored, alone at home this summer, and I had to do something to lighten me up. Please forgive my horrible cheeriness at your expense. I don't know, honestly, how much you all like this story or how much it would mean to you if I did, in fact, delete it, but I'd be lying if I told you I haven't had fun writing that. Ok. So you might be wondering, anyways, is this terrible e-prank why I'm writing a top-of-the-fic review? Yah and Nope. I'm also writing this to tell you which quotes won the little contest of last chapter!

Number 5 is Kerowyn6's quote: "You need to accept that you're special. I know it. The penguins know it. They told me to tell you."  
I loved your other quotes, Kero, but they were all a bit too sensible and philosophical to make it into this chapter!

Number 4 is Princess of Flames (Angel)'s quote!: "We all are in our own way insane, so calling me insane won't make you anymore sane"  
That is such a Luna Lovegood quote that it's scary.

Number 3 is Taylor Hepworth's quote: "Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."  
I'm well aware this is a Dumbledore quote. But honestly, I love it.

Number 2 is happybear135's quote: 'Everything in this room is edible, even I. But that, my friends, is called cannibalism and is frowned upon in most societies.'

Aside from the fact that this made me snort, Roald Dahl is one of my favorite childhood authors, so naturally, this had to be here.

And NUMBER 1 GOES TO…..ARANDOMFANGIRLER'S AWESOME QUOTE!: Will people stop asking me my last name? Tiffany, this is a life or death situation...my last name can wait for five more minutes, provided we live that long."  
HA! HA HA! I'm glad I'm not the only person to wonder about that, hon!So, all the quotes I've been given are amazing! But in a fic where barely ¼ of the characters have a taste for literature and philosophy, I didn't have much choice. So. On with the long chapter, all right?

_**Nico at Hogwarts**__****_

_**More Than a Half-Blood Prince:**__**  
**__  
_ Nico had never really gotten a good school report as far as he could remember. Which, of course, was why he was uncomfortable as he and the others shared a look, and then looked back at the parchment in their hands. Nico reached to open his.

"Don't, don't, don't!" said Hermione, interrupting him and flapping her hands hysterically.  
"I know I've failed everything!" Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 'Fail' and 'Hermione' were illegal together in one sentence."What happens if we fail?" Harry asked, and it was Hermione, still with panic in her eyes, who answered."We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term."

A knot of nervousness tied itself in Nico's stomach. He knew he'd be staying at Hogwarts anyway, but he didn't want anyone to look down on him or think he was stupid. They'd look down on him. Besides, he could use a little more self-satisfaction.

"At Beauxbatons," said Fleur smugly, entering the room with a basket of laundry, "we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then-"

"Open it," Ron interrupted, scowling half-heartedly. With shaking fingers and quick breaths, as if she were set up for a duel to the death and not exam results, Hermione unsurely opened the envelope, uncertainly unfolding the parchment. Basically, a lot of 'un's in one descriptive sentence.

The three boys were quick to follow her co unfolded the parchment (the only 'un' in his actions) and looked, not as nervously as warily, at the parchment as if it might burst into flames when he wasn't looking.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades  
Outstanding (O)  
Exceeds Expectations (E)  
Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades  
Poor (P)  
Dreadful (D)  
Troll (T)

Nico di Angelo has achieved:  
Astronomy A  
Care of Magical Creatures O  
Charms A  
Defense Against the Dark Arts E  
Divination O  
Herbology E  
History of Magic A  
Potions O  
Transfiguration E

Nico stared. He read the parchment again, and again. And looked up at the others. Ron looked delighted, but Hermione's head was bent in deep thought. Harry looked like it was becoming easier for him to breathe.

"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, but who cares about them?" Ron said happily to Harry, who grinned and took a look at his OWL report.

"Knew you'd be top at Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Ron, punching Harry on the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?" he looked at Nico and raised his eyebrow.

"I got an A at Charms." Nico admitted. "But I'm pretty sure it's because I got the theory botched up. Dyslexia and whatnot- I did get the spells right, though. But…I got an O on Divination." He wrinkled his nose. "I didn't even show up! "

"She's batty, Trelawney is." said Ron dismissively as he looked at Nico's report. "You've got it good. An O for Potions?" he squinted, and looked at Nico in disbelief.

"How'd you manage that?"

"I don't know," Nico admitted tiredly. He'd expected and 'E' at best, for potions. With ADHD and all, he was a bit restless, though he knew how to channel the extra energy well most of the time. But without Snape looking at him like, 'Thou shall fail for mine amusement.' he had been a tad more confident with his potion.

He kept staring at the report. It wasn't the best, but by all means, Nico was no Annabeth…or Hermione. He supposed his grades were good for someone who'd only been a wizard for an year or so, but he couldn't help but feel nervous about this year.

Potions wouldn't require wands, and probably nor would Care of Magical Creatures (probably) , but Transfiguration, Charms (he knew Flitwick would let him continue- dyslexia wasn't his fault. Or, well, it hadn't been.), and DADA (if their teacher didn't turn out to be another Umbridge) would require a lot of wand work.  
Finally, putting his parchment on the table, Nico decided he was satisfied with his results. They may not have been Ravenclaw worthy, but they were good enough for him.

Besides, he didn't want to look to smart, either. The new-founded British accent was enough teasing-material for his friends back at Camp without adding immaculate grades to it.  
"Well done!" said Mrs. Weasley proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven OWLs, that's more than Fred and George got together!"

"Hermione?" said Ginny cautiously, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. "How did you do?"

"I-not bad," said Hermione in a small voice."Does 'not bad' mean 'amazing' in Hermioneese?" Nico asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep, ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"

"No," said Hermione, her jaw shifting slightly. Harry laughed.

"Well, let's hope we score well on our NEWTs." Nico said, secretly wondering if he'd stay at Hogwarts long enough to take NEWTs. It was a weird thought. Just passing the OWLs, Nico felt more like a wizard. It didn't necessarily make him feel less like a demigod, but it generated a semi-awkward sense of equality within him that he couldn't really explain. Hermione kept staring at her OWLs. She didn't look disappointed, exactly. Just as bit…thoughtful.

"Be a little celebratory." Nico said. He couldn't stand her mood.

It was so typically, well…Hermione, that it befuddled him how she could be…Hermione. If someone else had gotten ten 'O's, they'd probably be jumping for joy.  
She just sat there, like, 'Huh. Okay. I guess I can live with this.' It was weird- Annabeth, whose fatal flaw was pride, would have been at least satisfied.

"Hermione?" Nico asked. She turned her head away reluctantly from her report and gave him a questioning look."I'm going to say something semi-deep, and I'm afraid I won't get to repeat it again. Listen?"

She shrugged at him. Harry, Ron, and Ginny stared, looked co cleared his throat and summoned what was probably left of his ADHD- or his crazy imagination.

"You need to accept that you're special." He said in calm, wise tone. Ginny snorted. "I know it. You know who else does?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, looking amused yet pleased, and asked, "Who?" Nico leaned in as if to reveal a dangerous secret- Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron followed his example, straining their ears to listen in."The penguins know it." He whispered, the way a secret agent might say 'Meet the boss at 6 AM'.

A round of snickers erupted from within them, as Nico drew back and sat straight, taking a formal, business-like posture.

"They told me to tell you." He said, matter-of-factly.

Hermione beamed at him as the rest succumbed to laughter. Nico felt a smile tugging at his lips, but to add the melodrama, he managed to transform it into a smirk."Thank you," she said appreciatively. "Tell the penguins that, too."

Nico mock-scowled at her. "I'm never going to Antarctica again." He swore, which provoked a few confused smirks.

-O-

The next few days at the Burrow were typically bittersweet. On one hand, staying there was awesome, and Mrs Weasleys cooking happened to rival Sally Jackson's, too. On the other hand, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and even Ginny spent their free time playing- Nico shuddered – Quidditch.

He knew he had to eventually mount a broom and learn how to fly- he'd be kidding himself if he said they weren't good for a quick escape. But for the moment, he was content with not taking off into the air on a fragile log of wood, which could break and send him toppling to his death any second. And this time, shadow travel wouldn't help him.

The Prophet, Bill, and Mr Weasley came with depressing, dark news nearly every day. It would've served everyone better if they just…didn't read them. But, they had to.

Keeping your friends close, and your enemies even closer, Nico supposed. But the news were just plain depressing. News like Florean Fortescue's probable death, a guy who ran/used to run the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley, and someone named Igor Karakoff, who did not own an ice cream shop anywhere, but did run a school called Durmstrang.

As Nico sat there, stealthily examining the remains of his wand (he didn't like it to be out for everyone to see, for some reason), he heard snippets of everyone's talk. Now, they were talking about someone called Ollivander, who Nico knew to be a wandmaker.

He slightly sobered up. It looked as if by the time he finally got to see Diagon Alley for the first time, there would be no one there to welcome him. He wasn't angsting it up or anything, but the year was really not taking a good turn. Earthquakes. Broken wands (and legs). Either abducted or dead people. Talk about disheartening.

"But wands — what'll people do for wands?" someone said."They'll make do with other makers," said Lupin. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."

Well. That had to be good enough.

The next day, over tea, (was it just Nico, or did British people like tea a lot more than coffee?) Harry had finally received a badge to fit in with Ron and Hermione. Perhaps Nico should've been a bit more congratulatory , but since Harry was made Qudiditch Captain, and was obviously supposed to do things involving brooms shooting twenty hundred+ feet into the air with no safety buckles or something, whatsoever, Nico honestly didn't feel very enthusiastic. If he was made Quidditch Captain, the only thing he'd use that badge for was to come in and have a look at the Prefect's Bathroom, but since he was already a Prefect, that wasn't required, thankfully.

Another non-Quiditch related thing that was delivered that day was their book-lists."Well," said Mrs Weasley, eyeing the suspiciously. "I suppose there's no reason putting the trip to Diagon Alley off now that these have arrived. We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work again. I'm not going there without him."

"Mum, d'you honestly think You-Know-Who's going to be hiding behind a bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts?" sniggered Ron; and Nico couldn't help but agree.

"Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they?" said Mrs. Weasley, firing up at once. "If you think security's a laughing matter you can stay behind and I'll get your things myself—"

"No, I wanna come, I want to see Fred and George's shop!" said Ron hastily.

"Then you just buck up your ideas, young man, before I decide you're too immature to come with us!" said Mrs. Weasley angrily, snatching up her clock, all nine hands of which were still pointing at "mortal peril," and balancing it on top of a pile of just-laundered towels. "And that goes for returning to Hogwarts as well!"

Ron turned to stare incredulously at Harry as his mother hoisted the laundry basket and the teetering clock into her arms and stormed out of the room.

"Blimey. . . you can't even make a joke round here anymore. . . ." But Ron was careful not to be flippant about Voldemort over the next few days.

Saturday dawned without any more outbursts from Mrs. Weasley, though she seemed very tense at breakfast. Bill, who would be staying at home with Fleur (much to Hermione and Ginny's pleasure), passed a full money bag across the table to Harry.

"Where's mine?" demanded Ron at once, his eyes wide.

"That's already Harry's, idiot," said Bill. "I got it out of your vault for you, Harry, because it's taking about five hours for the public to get to their gold at the moment, the goblins have tightened security so much. Two days ago, Arkie Philpott had a Probity Probe stuck up his ... Well, trust me, this way's easier."

"Thanks, Bill." Said Harry.

Bill nodded and turned to Nico, passing him a bag as well, which he took with a 'thanks' and a nod. "That's from the trust fund. By the way, Dad wants you to come to work with him. You know."

"I know," Nico agreed, understanding at once, nerves slightly rising. "Today?" Bill nodded.

"What do you know?" Ron asked.

Nico wondered if he should tell them, but Bill gave him a slight shake of the head.

"Something you don't," Nico chose to reply, and Ron scowled."Fine. Be that way."

"Right after lunch. He'll get you by Floo- you've travelled by Floo before, right?" Bill continued after a pause.

Nico got an impression that they should have been doing this somewhere else, but Bill was obviously in a hurry or something.

"No," Nico admitted. He did know what Floo-travel was, and if he was being honest with himself, he did not wish to travel via literally walking through green flames (the green making them look like Greek fire).

"You've never travelled by Floo?" asked Hermione, wide-eyed.

"It's not a very popular method of Transportation in America." Nico said simply, hoping that would throw her off. Hermione kept staring for a few seconds, but then she turned away with a dismissive shake of her head.

-O-

Everything was all right….Until the monsters came. Lou was surprised their first monters came days in- with their magic going haywire, she expected them to come in large groups at her and her siblings. Fortunately, she was not right, and their few day a-travelling had gone well enough, if one didn't count the huge amount of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and bacon the trio had had to consume.

It was Tiffany who'd stopped them first- the team was just hanging around their cramped little tent, when Kye abruptly remembered that he'd forgotten to put out the fire from earlier.

"So, go put it out yourself, then." Lou had said, annoyed. It wasn't very windy, so she was not particularly worried, but Kye's irresponsibility bugged her beyond words.

"It's dark," he said simply.

"And?"

Kye stared at her. "I've lived with you in a Cabin for about three years-you should know by now that I'm severly allergic to darkness."

"_Allergic to darkness? _Zeus help me, Kye, are you being stupid on purpose? I don't see you _sneezing _and _wheezing _around Nico di Angelo, do I?"

"I said I'm allergic to darkness, not sons of Hades. Who's stupid now?" Kye said, sniffing. Lou Ellen rolled her eyes- she knew Kye wasn't as dumb as he let on- he just didn't want to stand up and put out the flames. Lou was about to open her mouth and tell her there wouldn't be any darkness anyway, until he extinguished the roaring fire, but Tiffany beat her to saying something else, thus ending their argument.

"I'll go," Tiffany said casually, standing up. "If you two keep fighting like this, then by the time someone goes out, we'll be taking shelter in the charred remains of what used to be a forest."

Tiffany had gotten up and opened the tent, but she hadn't walked out- instead, she froze. Then, carefully, as carefully as one might sneak into a ninja master's lair, she poked her head out and stared. A few minutes passed.

"What are y-"

"Sh!" Tiffany interrupted Kye- Lou couldn't see her face through the fabric, but from her tone, she guessed it was screwed in concentration. Tiffany poked her head out of the tent and gestured to them frantically. Lou and Kye edged closer. Kye crouched to look out and Lou stood on tip-toes.

For a moment, they all stared in shock-invoked silence at the moving shadows, their hearts thumping against their chests. None of them dared to say a word. They just watched, taking in the scene before in awe and horror. Thanks to the un-put out flames, the three of them could see fairly well. About two dozen figures moved, silhouetted like huge lumps of black, moving in a clumsy line in the direction of-

"North," Kye whispered lowly, his voice trembling slightly. "They're moving north. But that's where we're heading to find mom!"

"Keep it down, klutz!" Lou hissed, feeling panicky. Could those…those _things hear_ well? "We know they're moving north. What should we do? We can't attack them like that- they don't even know we're here, as far as I'm concerned."

"Why can't they smell us?" Tiffany asked in a small voice

Lou paused. "I don't know." she whispered back. "Something else must be covering our scent."

Silence enveloped them once again. One of the figures let out a low grunt, and it sent shivers up Lou's spine.

She backed away into the tent and slumped against a corner, breathing quick. Her other two quest mates followed her example, inhaling and exhaling like there was no tomorrow.

Panic rushed through Lou Ellen's veins. She had known the risks of the quest, but now that she was facing them, she felt dazed, light-headed, and scared. Against her will, her body began to shiver uncontrollably. Kye and Tiffany looked scared in their own ways- fighting monsters outside the camp, that was one thing. But _these_ things were new to them. Lou had no idea why they freaked her out so much, but they did. Suddenly, all the possibilities of her doing something wrong came crashing down on her, and she gulped. What if she led her siblings into a trap? What if she caused them death, or injury-or- or

_Pull yourself together, _the reasonable part of her mind said. _Say something. Don't let them see you like this._

"I- what do you think's covering our scent?" she chose to ask, and her voice faltered slightly at the end. She wanted to ask them if they, by chance, knew what the creatures were, but part of her didn't really want to know, and the other part was convinced they were as clueless as she.

Silence.

"Mom," Tiffany muttered. "I mean, think about it- they're moving north. So are we- they must be moving toward _her. _We must be on the right path, if I'm right about that."

"Why would monsters track mom's scent- and are they Greek, Roman, or..magical?" Kye asked.

"Not magical." Lou said firmly. "They're all attacking Camp. I mean, if your theory's right, that would mean mother's at Camp Half Blood."

They exchanged looks.

"Nah," Kye said. "So let's just assume they're Graeco-Roman monsters. Still, as far as I know, monsters don't follow gods."

"Who's to say they're following mom?" Lou said, a bulb lighting over her head as she got a sudden idea. She gulped. "Maybe..maybe they're following whatever has her."

"So…so we must be on the right path, though." Tiffany said. "But even if we are, I don't think we can fight whatever it is, waiting for us where mom is. That's basically like saying kids of Athena have belly buttons, or like saying Lou Ellen has a last name." She paused, her expression melting into one of confusion- she stared at Lou. "You do have a last name, though, right? I mean, everyone just calls you Lou, or Lou Ellen. The 'Ellen' is used too frequently to be a last name- more like a middle name."

She felt highly annoyed that Tiffany would think of that at this time, and her face turned a combination of different reds- embarrassment, annoyance, and slight anger.

"Will people stop asking me my last name?" she said through gritted teeth. Tiffany, this is a life or death situation. My last name can wait for five more minutes, provided we live that long." Her voice came out a bit louder than she'd meant it to, and the annoyance in it was evident. Tiffany frowned.

"All right, I'm sorry, okay?" Tiffany said quietly, looking down.

Lou let out a huff of satisfaction, but Kye frowned at her.

"She was just trying to break the tension." he said, sounding mildly offended. "We're all scared, you know, Lou; you don't have to act all high and mighty about it."

"I'm _not _acting high and mighty!" she snapped. "_I'm _just trying to do something actually _useful _on this quest."

"So _you're _the one doing all the work?" Kye demanded, his voice rising as well as he stood, towering above her. "I thought we were in this together! But no, you get the worst Hecate kids, a boy who who makes everything explodes and a girl who likes lightning things up, yeah? It's not like they both knew how scared you were about this since the beginning, and it's not like they tried to help you through it and try to make you smile or _actually act like a human _for once on this quest?"

Lou's retaliation was stuck in her throat, her words lost by shock- she wanted to say something, defend herself, but it was as though she had forgotten how to speak English.

"You know what?" Kye breathed, gathering his things and moving to the edge of the tent. He grabbed Tiffany by her wrist, and she followed him passively with an uncharacteristic unreadable expression etched on her features. The two of them sat there, and Lou's heart sank.

"We're letting _you_ take charge of this quest. Isn't that what you want?" Kye continued, his voice unusually cold. "Until you decide we're not worthless, we'll stay out of your way, Leader Lou Ellen whatever-your-last-name-is."

She struggled to say something, but it hurt- it hurt how it was true, and how she couldn't think of what to say. Tiffany and Kye turned away so they weren't facing her anymore, and for the first time since that wretched quest began, Lou Ellen felt completely and utterly alone.

-O-

Floo-travel sucked. No pun intended, of course. I wasn't even a very good pun, it was true that travelling through flames was uncomfortable. It was, of course, loads better than Apparition, but then again, there was a wide category of things better than having your molecules squeezed apart.

After lunch, Mr Weasley, (who had, thankfully, been excused from a day of work) had taken Nico to the Ministry (again).

He felt weird being there- like it brought back so many physically and mentally painful memories, but somehow, when it wasn't void of people, the Ministry was more tolerable than Nico might have expected.

The only thing that hadn't been fixed yet was the statues- he had no idea how they'd come to be ruined, but then again, he didn't know much about what had happened after his unceremonious passing-out.

It felt oddly like a dream, walking through the Ministry again- Nico could almost imagine Harry a few feet away, leading them through. He could imagine the cold badge strapped to his shirt which had said, 'Nico di Angelo- Rescue Mission' and was currently in Big House Attic with all the other spoils of war and objects from quests.

The new things were the flying memos, which kind of reminded Nico of that one time Leo managed to invent post-it notes that wouldn't come off. He probably thought it as professional or something, but long story short, the Stolls ended up getting their hands on them and half the Ares Cabin wound up with post-it notes bearing messages like 'KICK ME' on their butts for about a week before Leo managed to figure out a solution. To say in the least, they were not happy with him.

'The Department of Magical Law Enforcment,' the voice began to say.

"Well," Mr Weasley said, trying to look cheerful. "This is us!"

This was them. And, thankfully, after a careful look of their surroundings as Mr Weasley led him to the court, Nico could tell the trial _was_ going to be taking place in the creepy dungeon he was tried in the last time.

Maybe because it was the 'scene of crime' or something since it was Fudge they'd be judging this time, but it still made Nico feel highly uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because from that point onwards, he remembered nothing but misery from the soul-sucking dementors. He barely knew what these things were or where they came from, but he didn't care, just as long as there was as much distance between them and himself.

The room was just as his fuzzy memory.

-o-

Guarding Camp Half Blood was pretty dull.

In fact, once Percy thought about it, Camp Half Blood was really nothing but a clearing. A really, really, big clearing, not accounting the few dryads scattered around.

Percy was used to wandering through the woods for some monster-killing practice, but waiting for them to come get him was just awkward. Especially consider he was just a step away from the magical border's protection.

It was weak. He could feel it. The strong sense of security it once radiated no longer gave its usually powerful vibe. Most of the time, even _within _camp, Percy felt exposed- naked.

Just when he was beginning to think things might take a turn for the better, they slid downwards instead. Even Percy could figure out that he'd probably not be going to New Rome for college after all. The Fates clearly didn't care about Percy's education- not that he'd suspected they did after they got him kicked out of seven schools.

To his right, Annabeth stood, her grey eyes always alert and tense. She was scanning the horizon where the canopy of trees wasn't so thick. The guy whose name Percy kept forgetting stood somewhere to his left, wielding a dagger, with an extra switch blade strapped to his belt.

Way to Percy's right stood Frank, who was contributing from the Roman side. Frank had a spear wedged in the space between his feet, but nothing else. It was clear why- Frank was a man-weapon himself. Or, as some people like to friendlily tease, a portable zoo.

Gwen stood, clad in imperial gold armor, right beside Frank, also clutching a much shorter spear.

Nothing had come at them- which made Percy bored and relieved all at the same time. On one hand, dealing with monster which were almost impossible to kill with the weapons and risking his life felt like a hard pass, but Percy would really prefer to do something else- like, say, spending time with Annabeth and not risking death.

But on the other hand, if they could figure out how to kill these things, then they'd finally be safe. Then maybe the children of Ares, Mars, and Athena could finally put their heads together and plan a strategy for the upcoming war.

"You all know Plan B, right?" Annabeth asked anxiously as she shielded her eyes and squinted.

"Tell everyone to evacuate to New Rome if the border is somehow broken," Percy recited. "Yeah. Why?"

Annabeth didn't have to answer, because the rest of them noticed the monsters. Frank pulled the spear free from the clutches of the earth, and Percy felt for Riptide in the insides of his pocket. Annabeth unsheathed a bronze dagger slowly. The anonymous guy brought out both, the switchblade _and _the dagger.

Gwen clasped her arms around her spear tightly. Instinctively, the five of them huddled closer to each other.

"There are about _five _of them," Frank reported. Percy narrowed his eyes to get a closer look at the crowd of monsters.

Dust formed around them as they got closer, so Percy could only guess they were heavy on their feet, and it did not reassure him.

As they approached, Percy could make out red-hot…_things_ swishing above each monster's head.

"Are those antennas, or…?"

"Tails," Annabeth told him, her voice slightly pitched. Percy would practically feel the nervousness rolling off of her. It would be the first time Annabeth encountered this…thing, whatever it was. Percy may not have been the smartest, but spending years around Annabeth taught him a lot about her; Annabeth was fearless, brave, and determined. But she was scared of what she could anticipate- what she didn't know.

With the hand that wasn't gripping Riptide, Percy squeezed Annabeth's free hand. She gave him a weak smile.

The creatures drew nearer as the five demigods stood their stance. Percy could now clearly see that the coal-on-fire red cord-like things waving vehemently above the monsters' heads _were _tails. Aside from that, three, brown leathery-looking stumps on their heads- one in the middle of their foreheads and the other two protruding on either side of their heads – that looked like horns were also part of the new monster. Percy immediately knew from these characteristics alone that this magical monster had not been encountered by any demigod before them, because they had been getting constant reports of what some sighted creatures looked like.

The upper body of the monsters were covered with tufts of brown fur at random regions of their bodies- they was also bulky and crimson in color. It's lower body was much more hairy ('Thank the gods,' thought Percy) but it was scrawny, and the fur was red instead this time.

These things were not going to win a beauty pageant anytime soon.

"Step into the borders," Annabeth commanded stiffly after the demigods had been cured of their awe.

Percy and the others swiftly obliged as the monsters came closer and closer. The demigods held their breath and waited. Percy could now see the slimy skin of one of the monsters just a moment, and...

"NOW!" Annabeth yelled, and the five of them started to go backwards- Percy was a litte late. A red tail lashed out at him and struck his shoulder. A sharp pain erupted where it hit. Droplets of red blood began to shower down his side.

"Percy!" Annabeth gasped, rushing to his side. Percy swallowed. "I'm fine," he promised. "Nothing a little ambrosia won't fix." Annabeth did not look convinced.

"We're in the middle of a crisis," Percy tried, and Annabeth finally gave in with a sigh. She kept throwing looks at him though, before she focused her full attention on the monsters. Percy popped a square of ambrosia that was in his pocket into his mouth. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but his shoulder throbbed.

Step 1 of Plan A- Observe.

Up close, the monsters looked even scarier. Somehow Percy knew that if he were to run one of them through with a Riptide, they would not vaporize, but draw blood, which was a weird concept for him altogether.

Percy's hand twitched as the monsters came very close to the camp borders- his instincts were telling him to lunge at the monsters and slice them with Riptide. But Annabeth wanted them to wait.

The eyes of the monsters were black and beady, but they were not on the demigods at all. Their eyes were fixed on something invisible. Something magical; the border.

Hungrily, urgently, the things raised their hands and, in a moment so quick you'd miss it if you blinked, their stubby fingers sprouted claws the size of kitchen knives.

The four demigods all took a step back. Annabeth drew a sharp breath. "Claws. Of course- defense mechanism."

The creatures began clawing at the borders- you couldn't see them, of course, but wherever their large, sharp claws made contact with the invisible perfective border, a blue hue seemed to spread around the area. Their tails sometimes swooshed over and struck the border, creating a hissing sound that made Percy cringe.

"We have to _do _something," Percy announced finally, not able to watch those things slowly penetrating the boundaries. "The destroying in the border-"

"But we still don't know how to fight them," the Hermes kid protested. "we still don't know if these things have a weak spot or-"

Annabeth's look of concentration broke. She blinked. "That's just it. You're a genius, Cecil!" she exclaimed, the 'I've got an idea!' look coming alive in her eyes.

"What have you got?" Frank asked.

"Your name is _Cecil_?_" _Percy said.

"Frank, can you turn into those things?" Annabeth asked, ignoring Percy.

Frank looked deeply uncomfortable. "I-I don't know, Annabeth, I've never tried turning into anything like that before.."

"Can you try?" she asked urgently. Frank bit his lip, then nodded.

It was moments like this when Percy remembered just how awesome Frank's powers were. His back extended- fur sprouted from his skin. He grew twice his original height. All in all, watching it was kind of like looking at a cheap budget Ben 10 movie, except without the aliens.

By the time Frank was done transforming, Gwen, Annabeth, Percy, and the guy named Nicholas- er, Cecil, were huddled together a foot away. The monsters on the other side took no heed of Frank as they continued to bang at the border.

Annabeth grinned- really grinned. The first time she had smiled that way in days. And _then _the plan came to Percy- she wanted Frank to _be _the monsters so he could be aware of their weak spots and how they could be killed. Not for the first time, Percy was impressed.

Of course, that didn't last long. Apparently the Fates had decided things were looking up too much for them, because then things went downhill.

Frank the monster ran at the border, sprouted knife-claws, and began ripping their border away.

"NO!" Annabeth yelled. "FRANK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

But Frank paid no heed- he continued to demolish the borders from their side, making blue flare around him.

Percy's brain went a thousand miles an hour- what could they do? They couldn't _hurt _Frank, but why was he doing what he was doing. A bulb lit in his head.

He turned to the rest of their group, who were frozen in horror.

"Gwen," Percy said quickly, snapping the girl out of her stupor. "Can you knock the Fleece of that tree?"

"What?!"

"Can you-"

"No, I heard you, but why would you want that?"

"Trust me, OK?"

He turned to Annabeth and Cecil.

"If you two can distract him, that'd be great."

Gwen may have been a daughter of Venus, but she was no slouch when it came to handling weapons- she gave Percy a reluctant look, but then stiffened her resolve after he gave her a reassuring look. She raised her arm above her head and threw the spear at the Fleece. With the blunt end. Percy prayed.

Miraculously, the butt of the spear just managed to dislodge the Fleece, and it fell onto the floor in a neat, golden pile.

Percy closed his eyes and prayed once again, this time to Hecate, wherever she was. Despite his plan, Percy's hand gripped Riptide tightly. Annabeth's hand tightened around her dagger. Johnny's switchblade and dagger were at his side.

The monsters and Frank paused, tails swishing madly, razor-sharp claws still raised. And then the monsters backed away. Frank turned back into himself again and fell forwards- Gwen caught him.

The group of demigods stood, panting, their weapons forgotten; as they watched the other monsters sniff around, as if whiffing for magic in the air. And suddenly, they stopped. They turned their heads around and around, causing each of the demigods to flinch back or take a cautionary step backwards, fully aware that there was nothing between them and those creatures- nothing between those things and _camp _anymore.

Percy found Annabeth's hand and gripped it tight, sweat trickling down his face, adrenalin rushing through his veins. Suddenly, the fleeting idea he's had seemed stupid, reckless, even, and Riptide was out of his pocket the next moment one of the five beasts twitched.

But nothing happened. They turned back and ran away from their woods, as if Camp Half Blood had disappeared from their sight.

Cecil and Gwen, carrying Frank, collapsed on their feet from exhaustion, and Percy was so very tempted to do so, but he stood, relief overwhelming him so much he nearly laughed hysterically.

"Magic," Annabeth said, understanding immediately. "They're not attracted to our scent, but to magic. Hecate _must _be linked to this somehow. Maybe that's why only failed crossbreeds are seeking us- being unstable creatures, they must have unstable magic." Annabeth reasoned, and Percy could see the gears in her brain turning. Despite it all- her fear, her wet forehead and her now messy blond hair, she looked more beautiful than ever before.

"Frank?" Percy said, nodding toward Frank, whose head was now on Gwen's lap.

"I-I'm not sure," Annabeth stuttered out. "I mean- maybe turning into one of those things affected him the wrong way. I wanted to figure out their weak spots, but maybe…maybe Frank's done his job a little too well. You know?"

Percy did not know, but he nodded anyway. Finally, he threw his warrior dignity into a 180 mph washing machine and sat down on the wet floor, still keeping an eye on the woods as if some other monster would trek out soon. And it was possible- Greek monsters were still there to worry about.

"The Fleece, though?" Percy asked. "We can't not have it, or else Greek and Roman monsters will enter. But if we do put it up, then the magical monsters will penetrate the borders- _feed _on them, if you must – and suck up all the magic like Dakota with Kool-Aid, then the border will ah- dry up – and the Greek and Roman monsters will come up and skewer us in our sleep anyway. The way I see it, both options stink."

"Festus," Alfred offered, wiping his brow. "We could use Festus to guard us again."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed, her expression softening in relief and appreciation. "That way we can stock the Fleece and preserve it's magic, thus keeping the monsters away, also while guarding camp."

The sat in silence for a few minutes after that, taking in the plan, with Gwen looking at Frank nervously now and then.

"Let's go," Percy said, standing up. He let out a low hiss of pain and surprise as his shoulder began to throb harder. He'd forgotten about it, his mind plagued with adrenalin and their current situation.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked in a small voice, sounding worried. It was normal for her to feel concern for Percy, but he'd gotten much more dangerous and even fatal wounds- he wasn't used to Annabeth fussing over something so simple, yet she was.

"I'm OK," Percy said through gritted teeth. "Frank's not, though." Picking herself up, Annabeth gave a reluctant nod. Jesse helped Gwen haul Frank upwards, and they each shoved one of their shoulders under either of his arms, carrying him.

Annabeth took the lead because Percy insisted on it. Gwen, Frank, and Cedric followed after her, with Percy bringing the rear.

At last second, when he was nearly certain no one was looking, Percy lowered his sleeve and brought it down so he could so his shoulder, which was now throbbing uncontrollably. He held his breath.

It was true that his shoulder was no longer bleeding- the ambrosia had stopped that. But the sight that met him was even more bizarre that a few drops of red.

Instead, right from the spot where he'd been stung, a green hue was spreading beneath his skin. The skin itself was paler than usual- so pale it nearly appeared translucent. Like light green veins or roots etching themselves deeper into his body, the color spread. Hurriedly, Percy pulled back his sleeve, slightly shaky and surprised at what he'd seen.

He shook his head and told himself to get over it, though- there was time to worry about himself later. It was Frank who needed help.

-O-

Connor stroked Mrs O'Leary thoughtfully. After a few years, he'd gotten used to her being around camp, but he'd never actually _ridden _her before. Someone, Mrs O'Leary seemed too great a creature to ride. But he supposed it would have to do since Festus was now their new guard. Annabeth and the rest had explained it. Leo had a somewhat proud expression on his face. And now, Festus would shoot up a blaze of fire into the sky just to tell them there weren't any monsters nearby. One blaze= trouble. Two= safety, or 'don't worry, I can barbecue these on my own.' In Festus code. This was a bit of a bummer since Connor and his brother were seriously looking forward to riding him, but saying, 'A hellhound gave me a piggy-back ride!' sounded superior, too.

"Why are we bringing food again?" Travis asked as he heaved a backpack onto his shoulders. "Won't the wizards have some?"

"I guess it's in case we get stranded on an island or something," Connor snorted. "OK. So remember what Chiron said- be there to look after Nico, yada yada yada blah blah blah."

"And we can see Fred and George and their wizard shop!" Travis finished with a smile. "I don't get Chiron's logic on this, but I don't really care. Hey, did you nick any demigod stuff that would impress them? We could tell them they're magical…"

"Nope," Connor answered, looking down. "Chiron's threatened me about it- told me not to."

"And you listened?"

"There's a first time for everything- besides, I really want to see how this wizarding world thing will look like."

Travis thought about it. "Probably like Disney Land or something." He said, shrugging. "That's OK, though. I've always wanted to go to Disney Land, although the thought of a giant mouse in underwear does give me the heebie-jeebies."

Mrs O'Leary panted in agreement as the Connor, then Travis began to climb up on her surprisingly soft back.

"Nice," Travis said, patting Mrs O'Leary's fur. "Maybe we _could _go to Disney Land with her, as well. Or a Chocolate Factory- I'm thinking Hersheys."

"'Everything in this room is edible, even I. But that, my friends, is called cannibalism and is frowned upon in most societies." Connor quoted his agreement.

**AN:**

**Ambie finished typing the last words, closing the chapter with Connor Stoll. Sighing, she typed a few words on her Author's Note and closed the music she was listening to (which had helped her write). She wondered how to begin telling her readers was grateful and sorry she was.**

'**Did I do the right thing, closing the chapter here?' she wondered, as she typed. Of course, her readers deserved more than puny 7,000 words. She even left out two quotes, saving them for next chapter, but she had to stop her. The pressure would kill her, otherwise. Not to mention she plain sucked at writing legal stuff- her trial would no doubt turn out sloppy once she jotted it down.**

**She was cranky, moody, her stomach hurt, and she was guilty. And wanted ice cream. It wasn't fair- why her? **

**Even then she was itching to go back to her copy of Lord of the Rings, despite how peeved she was about how small and tiny the pages were, and how the context was even smaller.**

"**I guess this'll have to do," she said out loud. She'd write an even bigger chapter next time- Fred and George would be in it. It would be horribly tricky, getting Nico a wand now that Ollivander was gone. She'd forgotten he got kidnapped in this book, and she was reluctant to make an OC- no doubt her readers were sick of them, and in all honesty, so was she.**

**She also regretted having Nearly Headless Nick visit camps, or ever mentioning dementors were creatures of the Underworld. She didn't want that anymore- she saw now that it was better if the magical and demigod worlds were as cut off from each other as possible. She'd somehow convey to her readers to not consider them connected anymore.**

**Ambie hated being a teenager. She hated everything. She hated the second of August. Why did it have to suck so much? Why was it painful and confusing and annoying?**

"**I guess I owe them their answers, at least," she sighed. "I hope this chapter's enough. I should also thank Paprikanicnacks and Princess of Flames and maybe even QueenRed for their help with this.'**

**RRs:  
**

_**Questions:**_

_**Guest: **_I really like this story. Can you summarize what has happened to Nico in your stories at the beginning of the next chapter? I'm getting a bit lost on his role.

**Answer: **I might just do it soon, if I have time! I hope a few readers would summarize it, if you guys could, though, because I'm really busy right now.

**ARandomFangirler: **Favorite Flower?

**Answer: ** Ahaha you almost made me less miserable! My favorite flower was a blue bell, but NOW *deep breath* PRIMROSES!

**Review Reply: ** Ambie: Isabelle Lightwood? Isn't she from the Mortal Insturments?

Mahie: Yeah. How'd you know? You haven't read it.

Ambie: I'm _going _to. Anyway, I get spoilers all the time. Part of being on twitter

Mahie: Oh, OK. Why's there a bump on your forehead, though?

Ambie: …It's August the second.

Mahie: So? Oh- oh, OK, I get it. Good luck, girl. *pats shoulder*

Guest: Yes, I know it's you. American accent's are pretty cool, too!

**Question: **Wait, there was an AVPM reference AND a DW reference!? How did I miss these?

**Answer: '**Granger Danger', 'Tiffany and her pan'. Hehe. I'm so original. And nope, haven't read those books your mentioned. Still waiting for my 'Game of Thrones' copy to arrive, and Magyk, Insurgent and Allegiant *tears because Allegiant spoiler*WWWHHHHHHHHHHHYYYY!

Review Reply to Kerowyn6: I feel stupid now. Urgh. You just kept saying Cecilos over and over lol. Also, NO SPOILERS. NONE! I'm already in a super bad mood today. WHY HORMONES, WHY? WHY IS RUPERT GRINT SO HOT, BY THE WAY?! Did you see him star in Ed Sheeran's music video Lego House? I love WtNV! It's cool so far! And thanks, I REALLY try. Also, your PM the other day made my day! 

Angel's **Question: **

Will Nico have a love interest in ennis story? **Nope.**  
will there be character deaths apart from Dumbledore?...**Yes. **  
Will we see Tskimera in this? **You Betcha!**  
Whats your favorite colour? **Er…blue. Blue, definitely. And a lot of other colors.**  
Did you know JK Rowling announced there will be a HP play in theatres called Harry Potter and the Cursed child? **ASNDJFNEIFNE NOW I DO!**

Traci: Hufflepuff Pride!

NicoIsAwesome: Oh, yeah, thank you! I ran into You-Know-Who (not Voldy) and he told me that the entrance to you-know-what was blocked by a flock of you-know-whats and it won't be reopened until You-Know-When :( Thanks 4 da review!

Neon Wishes Loves Peaches: YAAAAAY HUG FOR ROOSTER AND CAT LOVERS!

Lukas Le Stelle: Ahahaha CAT LOVERS UNITE!

Haylee: Thaaaank you, Haylee! 3 from Ambie! 

Finwich: There won't be many ghosts in this fanfic- but things will progress soon enough. Wait for it! T4the Review!

BlueBonfire: CONGRATS ON THE NEW NAME, TAY TAY! I LOVE IT!

**Amber concluded, smiling, feeling less terrible about the month as a whole now.**


	16. The Trial

Being anonymous isn't just about not having a name. If you are anonymous to a person, it simply means that they can't make space for you in their hearts and memories; your very existence is overlooked by said person.

The woman who replaced Amelia Bones was completely anonymous to Nico- just a person, just a face. Despite his anxiety, subconscious part of his mind didn't feel the place was right without the kind-faced woman. He hadn't spoken or known her enough to actually become attached, but just as grudges clung to him with a ferocity, so did favors and those who offered them. Umbridge, though... he couldn't care less who replaced her. No matter who, they would pale in comparison. He was furiously convinced no one could be as bad as her.

The absence of Amelia was just, after all, another bitter reminder that war and death would chase him no matter what world he was it. It seemed like war lasted a lot longer than peace. But then again, peace was a precious thing.

He took in a deep breath, wishing Mr. Weasley could enter. But noo, this was a strictly set-up trial with the results all set, probably. They were just gonna argue it out for dramatic effect.

He wasn't paying attention. One moment he felt the tension in the air, and the next he couldn't care less about it. It was a complicated situation. Technically, the Wizengamot were both his and Fudge's witnesses, so most of them just took sides arguing with one another.

He tuned most of it out. It didn't make sense for all thought and emotion to abandon him, but it struck him that, right then, it really didn't matter. The Ministry needed him, and it didn't make sense for them to cast him aside. He couldn't bring himself the feel worried anymore. All he felt was indifference.

All he noticed was Fudge and the beads of sweat rolling down his face, and a man he thought was probably Scrimgeour. He looked at the new Minister for Magic carefully for a while, scanning him. He was looking straight ahead, hands folded cleanly behind his back, robes unnaturally straight, posture stiff. He gave off an aura of a respectable, powerful man, and Nico was not surprised he had been chosen as Minister. Never did he speak a word- he just listened.

After staring at one of the most powerful wizards without as much as a twitch of his eyebrows, Nico just went back to starting at his shoes. Hm…they were getting worn out, but they were comfortable and familiar ones. Once he thought about, he really didn't have that many shoes. There was that nice black pair he really liked, but he'd gotten McFlurry all over it after that stupid flirtatious McDonalds dude dropped it all over him because he was trying to check out the girl behind Nico in li-

"Mr. Angelo." A cold, to-the-point voice pulled him out of his fantasies, and he nearly jumped, managing to compose himself just in time to meet Minister Scrimgeours eyes.

"Have you got anything to add?"

Hoping they hadn't caught him zoning out, Nico suppressed an urgent blush. He really wasn't sure where their argument was going, so he could say something quite easily.

"One thing," he decided, and the majority of the room had their eyes on him. He felt oddly calm. "We all know who was in the fault." The entire room kept staring at him for a few seconds, and his confidence was quickly fading and being replaced by a sense of self-consciousness. He coughed.

"That's it." he said.

The anonymous replacement of Amelia Bones sighed. "Very well. After much debate on the topic, the Wizengamot has decided that no major punishment will be placed on former Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, due to his actions being purely out of caution." The person glared, clearly disapproving of this. Fudge blinked a couple times.

The woman then turned to Nico. "However," she continued. "as a good suggestion from _current _Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour offered, a sum of 5,000 Galleons must be paid to Mr. Angelo by Mr. Fudge himself, and di Angelo's record shall be cleared so that not a trace of his being in Azkaban should be apparent." She cleared her throat. "Any objections?"

Fudge's mustache twitched. No one said anything, but Nico felt more irritated that elated at his clearance. To him it was just another proof that despite Fudge having been gone, the Ministry was still corrupted to its core. It was a rickety building that needed to be wrecked and build all over again. To them, the judgement may have seemed fair, but to Nico it was just saying. 'Here's some money so you can shut up about us ever throwing you in that hell-hole.' He wasn't comfortable with there being absolutely no proof of his time at Azkaban. To be fair they may have seen it as a favor- so he could forget the horrible time he spent there. But to him it was a mark- a horrible one, but one that taught him something, and ought to have been a preserved part of his memory.

The woman nodded. "Good." She frowned. "Am I supposed to say 'case cleared' now?" Everyone stared at her for a few moments, including Nico.

She stuttered, "Case cleared, then!"

-O-

"Five _thousand _Galleons?!" Ron said in awe, his mouth open. Ginny stared at Nico with wide eyes and Hermione and Harry stopped their conversation at Ron's loud exclamation.

"That's a lot, Nico." Hermione remarked calmly, not looking impressed. "What else?"

"Nothing," Nico said. "Just…five thousand galleons and a clearance of record."

At this, the calm look in Hermione's eyes faded, a flash of red-hot anger replacing it instead. "What do you mean 'nothing'? They paid you money and then shook you off, just like that, as if it makes up for placing and underage wizard in Azkaban for almost an entire month?! Why, Hagrid's about fifty years old, and he's spent two months in Azkaban and refuses to speak about them to this day! It turns out it wasn't only Fudge that's the cause of corruption." Her face was red at this point and she was shaking with contained rage.

Nico had heard from Ginny's recounting that Hagrid had been to Azkaban, but he didn't know it had shaken the old Gate Keeper so badly.

"Once you put it that way, it does seem rather unfair," Harry said, and Ron and Ginny nodded and muttered.

"But five thousand galleons is a good sum, right?" Ron said hesitantly, not trying to be insensitive.

"I suppose it would do, for my sixth and seventh year." said Nico. "I think I should return the trust fund money to Bill. I really don't need it anymore. Or I could just give it back after we return from Diagon A-" he paused, a sudden thought striking him. "Wait, what day is it?"

Ginny told him the date. Nico blinked once, and then again. "Why?" Ginny concluded, inquiring his reasons for asking.

"Well, it's just that my relatives-"

An echoing crashissued from downstairs.

-O-

Shadow travel was like…swirling through a vertical rollercoaster, a cold and dark one. It was creepy and mysterious, which was why the Stolls naturally liked it.

Travis had been the one to whisper their location into Mrs O'Leary's furry ear. He wasn't sure if that's how it worked- Percy had just shrugged when they asked him – but with no better plan, the brothers had come up with this method. After a brief argument on whether the place was called 'The Burrow' or 'The Hole' ("Hobbits live in holes, Travis, not wizards!"), the sons of Hermes had re-taken their seats on the O' Leary Express and were ready to go.

The first thing Connor was aware of after the shadow-trip was the his backpack, which had felt weightless during their journey so that it felt like it had rematerialized. The second thing he was aware of was how dizzy he felt. He slid down from Mrs. O'Leary's white back, followed by his brother.

They both blinked stars out of their eyes. A few seconds passed.

"Hm. We should do that again." Travis grinned. He then turned around to survey his surroundings. They were in what appeared to be a vegetable patch. The dirt was fresh and wet, which gave the impression of it having been watered a while earlier, and a few strange roots and stubs rose from the ground a few feet ahead. Before them was a homy but small looking house that looked like it was barely being held together.

"Are you _sure _hobbits don't live here?" Travis asked his brother doubtfully. "'Cause this place sure is small, for a house owned by prank geniuses."

"Don't judge a whoopee cushion by its size," Connor advised wisely. "I think this is their back yard or something, maybe we should- hey, wait a minute." Connor's eyebrows kitted together in a slight frown. "Where's Mrs O'Lear-"

A crashing sound coming from ahead bought their attention._  
_

The Stolls brothers looked around- there were gigantic shovel-sized footsteps in the mud going half-way around the yard, and over a short fence they could barely see out of the corner of their eyes. Mrs O'Leary was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh oh." they said in unison. United in thought the Stoll brother ran, trailing Mrs. O'Leary's gigantic baby Godzilla footsteps, jumping over the short fence with agility only possessed by the children of Hermes, and continuing to follow her trail.

In moments they had reached the front of the house, and Connor could have sworn something with a potato-shaped head moved in one of the bushes, but they had no time to check it out. Because the measly door of the Weasleys' house was down, and a certain white hellhound was licking Nico's face over and over again, oblivious of the horrified crowd of peoples surrounding it.

"Looks like she's gotten too excited to see you," Travis said, somewhat apologetically. The group of five raised their heads to look at Travis and Connor finally. It was getting awkward.

The Stolls didn't know how their meeting with the Weasley would be. They might have send Mrs. O'Leary off, politely knocked and been invited for tea with the Brits. Not with the bottom of their pants smeared in mud, standing and staring as a hellhound licked their friend to death.

Nico had a hard time getting Mrs O'Leary off him, but when he did, he gave her and awkward, wet grin. Mrs O'Leary began hopping around a bit at his side, which made the people around her back away a bit.

"Convenient timing," he said, nodding at the Stolls, not that unfazed.

"Y-you're the Stolls?" One of the girls, a red-head (a really pretty one, in Connor's opinion).

Immediately, Connor gave a small bow. "Connor Stoll, at your service." He raised his back and wiggled his eyebrows a bit. "I'm the handsome one,"

"Shorter one's more like it." Travis snorted. "I'm Travis, this idiot's brother. Er…well…You're the Weasley's huh?"

A woman, who was now busily wiping Nico's wet face with a towel (which had him cringing slightly), looked up.

"Oh, it's you, isn't it?" she smiled at them. "Pleasure, I'm Molly Weasley, and there are my children- Ron and Ginny," she gestured with her towel at a tall ginger with a large nose and hands, and then to an impossibly beautiful (in Connor's opinion) girl. "These are their friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

"Hermione?" Travis whispered to Connor. "Wow, poor girl. Imagine having her teacher call out her name on the first day of school- must have been hell, pronouncing that." Connor hummed, not really paying attention.

Now, then, why don't you come inside? It's a bit cold out." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Travis said. Nico patted Mrs. O'Leary, glared at the Stolls, like 'Don't you dare embarrass me.', and then whispered something to her. Immediately, she pouted, licked Nico's palm one last time, and then backed off and turned around, running back to where they'd landed. There was silence.

"Where's she going?" the boy named Ron asked.

"She's leaving." Nico said.

"Hey isn't that the one that-"

"Yes, yes she is, Harry." Nico said. "Are guys getting in?"

The Stolls got in. Mrs. Weasley was strangely at home with them- she was by this point, used to having people who were not members of the family in her house. Soon they could hear the steam whistling through the narrow opening of the kettle she had hastily put on the stove.

The house was, indeed, small, but though the Stolls were not the most sensitive peope, even they could sense the welcoming feeling it gave off. They were probably not going to think of it as a hobbit hole now. For a while, anyway.

Ginny and the rest sat across the small kitchen table, opposite to Nico and the Stolls. To Nico, the Stolls felt odd there, otherworldly and completely out of place. It was like this strange feeling at the pit of his stomach telling him something was definitely out of place. The Stolls felt the same way, but their curiosity had a parade over their discomfort. Everything in the Burrow seemed to buzz with a refreshing sort of energy to them. They could smell it and taste it on the tip of their tongues- the air was humming with the odd power.

It reminded them a bit of when one of those magical monster neared their camp, except it was calm, approachable and…stable sensation, instead of a chaotic and adrenalin-filled one.

Travis was curious to learn more about this place and their world in general, while Connor, although harboring the same interest subconsciously, was interested into something else entirely.

"So…so you go to this school Nico's in? Pigfarts or something?" Connor piped up, appearind to ask in general but looking directly at Ginny.

"Hogwarts," Ginny said before Hermione could correct him, slightly aware of Connor's eyes. "What about you? This summer camp thing Nico goes to- I don't get it."

The rest of the Hogwarts crew seconded that. Both Nico and the Stolls stiffened- an explanation was hard to come by. They hadn't really thought about gluing an elaborate cover story about the Camps for some reason.

"Well…they're two camps, actually," Nico started slowly.

"Two?"

"Yeah. They're a across from each other." _Across a states, that is…_

"You said you don't floo-travel in America," Hermione said, quick to point this out.

"Shadow travel." Nico reminded her, thinking of the big reveal at the end of last year.

"How about your dog?" She pressed on. "Mrs. Of Leary- excuse me,_ O_'Leary."

The others snickered a bit along, and Nico rolled his eyes.

Travis and Connor did not enjoy being left out of a laugh, especially Connor, who was trying to look cool. He tried to chuckle along but only earned weird glances. He stopped immediately.

**HOW NOT TO EMBARRASS YOURSELF HAND-BOOK FOR DUMMIES by**

**CONNOR STOLL**

**RULE NO. 1- Never laugh at an inside joke you don't understand**

Nico avoided answering the question about Mrs. O'Leary due to the arrival of Mrs. Weasley's tea, steaming hot.

As far as they were concerned, the Stolls had never had tea. To others it might have seemed weird, but honestly, they were a bit too busy fighting in wars to try any. Besides, when you have magical plates that could serve you anything, along with similar goblets, tea is not the first thing to pop into mind. Actually, once the Stolls thought about it, it was strange how no one was overweight at camp, considering they could literally eat what and how much ever they want. They supposed killing monsters was a good way to burn off extra fat.

Anyway, it was weird for them. Connor especially felt more stupid than his brother as he tried to imitate Nico (mockingly drinking as it were no big deal- which, speaking logically, it wasn't. Screw logic.), and ending up with burning tea down the his front. It burnt. In fact he was almost glad his tongue didn't receive the same treatment as his chest. A plus came, though- Ginny passed him a towel. On the down side of that plus, when he was about to wink his thanks to her, she threw the towel across and it landed on his face, making him look even more stupid.

**HOW NOT TO EMBARRASS YOURSELF HAND-BOOK FOR DUMMIES by**

**CONNOR STOLL**

**RULE NO. 2: DON'T FLIRT IF A GIRL IS PASSING YOU A WILL NOT WORK.**

He decided he didn't like tea. Travis was smiling into his mug stealthily.

"Your timing was convenient." Ginny informed them. "We're going today. Dad's just getting ready now- I think he's trying to get in contact with a wand-maker."

The group stood up- the four wizards were all chatter, and were interested in Nico's odd relatives. In their hurry to get up, Travis tripped over one of his undone shoelaces.

Ginny detached herself from her friends and helped him up to his feet, earning a smile and a thanks. When the ginger's line of vision was away from them, Travis winked at his younger brother, with a look that said, 'She's pretty, but I got Katie.'

Connor felt oddly like crying.

-o-

The next few days saw a definite improvement for Camp Half Blood, but unfortunately quite the opposite for Percy. Festus was put on guard duty, again- Leo was especially proud of this, and Percy could understand why. Returning to the job he was created for again was something the dragon himself seemed to take pleasure in, emitting roars of flame simply to convey the feeling. He had look majestic, mighty, his bronze plates gleaming like solid gold under the bright sun piercing through the canopy. But the pain in Percy's shoulder prevented him from appreciating Festus' grand moments. The good thing was that not once after that had they been forced to guard the borders for monsters- magical and Graeco-Roman, both. Still, there was the anxiety and paranoia that made Chiron send two or three campers to keep watch, anyway.

As for Percy… The pain in his shoulder accelerated from a dull throbbing to a sharp, but rarely occurring pain. The first time was when he was at a Council meeting, discussing the Hecate kids, general theories regarding the Fleece's abilities, and their low storage of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold.

The disastrous results of useless battles with magical monsters (broken weapons, etc), could NOT be re-used in anyway. They refused to melt under the harshest bouts of heat and instead crippled and shrank.

It was then that Hazel (who was taking Nico's place as head of the Hades Cabin) suggested they use their currency- drachmas. Melt them, she said, to make new weapons. Chiron, aware that the Camp's allowance was only to be spent for quests and such, agreed but only as a last resort. The plan: a team would travel to CHB and bring two dozen weapons back from Camp Jupiter, with the agreement of Reyna and Frank, of course.

They could not shadow-travel with Mrs. O'Leary and Nico gone. Dakota, and a team from the second cohort would have to travel the traditional way to Camp Half Blood and back.

It was during this conversation when the sharp pain struck. Percy stiffened. Beads of sweat formed on his face despite it not being too hot. Annabeth gripped his hand tightly and shivered. She could feel how hot his body was becoming, unnaturally so. She sent him a look, her eyes aware of his unnatural state. He tried not to look back, but he succumbed to her gaze and smiled reluctantly, leaning down and whispering in her ear, "Nothing. Just a little fever."

Annabeth did not look convinced, but for the sake of her own sanity and the council meeting, she kept her mouth shut.

-O-

Nico did not like Diagon Alley.

It wasn't anything he'd expected- well, from what he'd heard, it was supposed to be cheerful, colorful and crowded. Not that Nico was the sort of person to prefer rainbows and crowds, but still. It seemed as though everything was hidden behind a Ministry of Magic poster, those silly pamphlets and the black and white moving pictures of several dangerous Death Eater on the loose. A few doors and windows were boarded up, including the ones of an ice cream shop which Nico could only guess belonged to Florean Flortesque.

Well, it looked like he was right. Once he finally got to Diagon Alley, there was nothing good left, at least not as far as he could see.

The nearest one, which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts, under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:

AMULETS

Effective Against Werewolves, -=-Dement on, and -=-infer!

A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passersby.

Nico did not need to be an expert on magic to know that the amulets probably did nothing. It made him slightly disgusted, that some people would be taking advantage of the situation in such a way.

So far so gloomy. Well, he'd never had high hopes anyway.

But maybe he should have.

**My sincerest apologies to my dear readers. I assure you all that I had no intention of letting you hang in there for so long- but as you all know, it's been a little rough here. My mom's gone to see her brothers and we had this period of time in which we couldn't decide if I should enroll in my same school or go to another.**

**I had good reasons to stay away from Fanfiction for a while this time- it wasn't laziness. I had to update with this or I'd be seriously letting you all down.**

**I sent my thanks to:**

**Kerowy6: A good friend and a great critic ;)**

**Alealea: For showing concern. Thank you, I'm fine. Just a bit busy.**

**Nicoisawesome: Nope, friend! Your threats are as effective as ever, and not much can keep me from this fanfic! Thanks a lot for showing concern and asking me how I am- I'm fine..Kinda. Just busy. Family drama and all that stuff. School's going to open.**

**School IS going to open, so if my updates get less frequent, blame it on the school! Whelp, I hope you guys have a great September so far!  
**

**(PS: I just finished Attack on Titan a few months ago, both the manga and the anime. Let me get this out of the way: Armin Arlert is the best character EVER.)**

""_**Umbridge, though... he couldn't care less who replaced her. No matter who, they would pale in comparison.""**_

_**-Kerowyn 6**_

_Sorry if there were any mistakes. I couldn't send this to my Betas as I wanted to get it out there as quick as possible._


	17. Chapter 17

HEY GUYS!

Just sayin'. This baby is on hiatus or a while. A while! I'm suffering writer's block, but I promise that this WILL. CONTINUE. After my mid term exams and when I make sure this damn laptop is fixed and can actually boot properly.

I have also been involved in the Hetalia fandom where yaoi is the thing- and- I'll just...go...read yaoi now...(FrUk and PruCan, anyone? GerIta? SpaMano or AmeriPan? ...No? OK, I'll just leave..)

Thank you for sticking by me! (200+ reviews, wow!) I promise you Solangelo (which I now ship tenfold) and lots of fluff when I come back. Lots. I love you guys. Keep in touch.

-Ambie


	18. At Mell's

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Annabeth asked tiredly as Percy hauled some of the weapons out of the shed.

"Seriously, Percy. Stop tiring yourself. You look dead on your feet." She said, pulling some of the heavier weapons out of his hands.

"Hey!" Percy pouted, and attempted to give Annabeth a tired smile. "Look, I'm OK. Really."

"You're pale, sweating far too much, and your eyes are bloodshot." She returned as they walked to the Hephaestus Cabin. "Even Chiron thinks you need a break."

"I'm fine." He said, for the thousandth time. They dropped the weapons off at Cabin 9, where one of the Hephaestus kids took the burden off of them.

Annabeth pursed her lips and stayed silent. Her boyfriend had _not _been fine, recently, and having been with him for about two years now, she knew this better than anyone. He seemed to have developed insomnia because he seemed to be always up, and he'd lost all his color, leaving him about as pale as Nico (which was really pale). He was still Percy- _her _Percy. He still dueled endlessly with Jason, but the cuts he used to make with Riptide became scrapes and scratches. His slices became lousy swings and his usual grace was deterred by unusual heaviness.

But Percy, being Percy, did not let this deter him in the least. His determination was still of steel and he worked harder than ever with the rest of the camp.

Leo poked his head out, goggles and gloves on, hair a wild mess. "Thanks. Y'know, even though your efforts were pretty much useless because we're 99.9999 percent sure that Greek fire won't melt it either."

"You're such a pessimist." Nyssa sighed from somewhere in the cabin.

"Who, me?" Leo said. "Nah- I'm just being a logicist."

"Logicist isn't a word, Leo." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, OK." Leo didn't question that since everyone knew Annabeth was just a dictionary on feet.

After leaving the Hephaestus Cabin (not before Leo made three wall-palm worthy fire puns), Annabeth and Percy walked back to the Big House, with Annabeth throwing worried glances at Percy every now and then. Oddly, she felt that if she didn't keep her eyes on him constantly, he'd pass out any moment.

-o-

Nico had never really thought about how Ollivander's couldn't be the only wand shop in Britain. It was the only one he knew, and so, in his mind, it was the only one that existed.

Well, once again, he was wrong.

If the titles Barbin's Wand World and Mell's Tres Bien Wand Works said anything. The shops were pushed far into the corners of Diagon Alley, a place most wouldn't bother to go to, but it was crowded that day. A decent amount of people stood in lines at both shops, and Nico could easily imagine why. Ollivander used to be the best, so obviously wizard folk who came here didn't really bother with the other shops. But now that there was no Ollivander, people had to go with the second best least someone was making the best out of the situation.

Since the line was shorter, Mr. Weasley lead Nico to Mell's. Shorter. Not necessarily short.

"I'm sorry your first visit had to be like this," Mr Weasley sighed. "This place was so..alive before any of this happened. Who knows. You may be able to see it in full color someday."

"…Perhaps." Nico said. He didn't say anything else. It really wasn't Mr. Weasley's fault if this wasn't working out the way both of them hoped it would. At least Nico had only a vague idea of what he was missing. It must have been much worse for the rest to see a familiar place turn so different over the summer.

"Ah, allons-y! Next!" the owner of the wand shop, Mr. Mell said. He was a tall, lanky man with stringy blond hair the color of wheat and light brown eyes, with the beginnings of a beard for facial hair. He seemed pretty glad for all the customers, though Nico thought he saw him exchange a glare with the other wand shop owner, Mr. Barbin, who was standing outside the store to help in an elderly witch who had come with her grandchild.

A heated glare was exchanged between the British and French men, and Nico could clearly see some rivalry between them.

Mr Weasley cleared his throat nervously. Mell stopped glaring at Barbin and turned to give them a smile. "Ah, desole. I'm sorry you had to witness that. Barbin et I have history." He said casually, walking in and gesturing for them to follow. They did.

"So, will you be wanting a new wand for this fine young man, monsieur?" He asked, smiling at Mr. Weasley.

Nico was far too busy looking around. He'd never been in a wand shop before, so he didn't know what one was supposed to look like, but he didn't think it'd be so…fancy. Really, he just expected the wands to be stacked inside boxes or something. Not with Mell.

Wands of different colors, sizes and shapes were hung from the ceiling according to their length and the darkness of their wood. They were spread on fancy-looking cushions in an appealing manner, and some were even placed in a gap in the sky blue wall, arranged in a circular manner.

Each wand looked more attractive than the one before it, but Nico couldn't care less about attraction. Really, he detested every wand almost instantly, despite that he'd probably only seen a small portion of them. He hated every wand that wasn't his. He was well aware that he was being unreasonable, that he'd have to choose a wand anyway (or a wand had to choose him. Whatever), but it didn't matter to him. Hopefully those flashy wands were _some _use.

"Yes, indeed so," Mr Wealsey said, readjusting his glasses. "He's broken his first, and we'd been hoping to find him another match here."

_Another _match, not a better one.

"Oui, bien sur!" He grinned. He picked out a wand from the wall. It was a tall, blue one.

"No." Nico said immediately, only having to glance at the wand to know he didn't like it. Mell blinked.

Well. It was going to be a long day.

**HiyaAAAA! I collected enough inspiration to write this! :D**

**Thank you, thank you for your understading, may I say! Also, I'm really glad that I've found so many Hetalians here! (If only you guys had Quotev QwQ)**

**I'm more than a little rusty, aren't I? Nico's easy for me to write, but I hope I did Arthur OK.**

**I'm pretty excited because everyone's telling me their opinions and asking for mine, and most of you ship FrUk (because I thought I was a loner in this and everyone ships UsUk. Tbh I get frequently attacked for shipping FrUk and it annoys me. One person even commented on my Quotev page saying that I'm a 'weeaboo for shipping FrUk' and FrUk is an evil ship that makes them sick and suicidal.)**

**What are you favorite characters and Hetalia group? *grabs Francis and FACE Family***

**I adore them- especially Francis, I swear I'll flip Ikea if anyone else calls him a rapist, manwhore, or pervert because he is NOT one. I shall protect him and love him like he deserves to be loved because he is a precious cinnamon roll over protective daddy (I bet he threatens anyone who comes within five feet of his Matthew :3) and doesn't deserve all the hate he gets.**

**Y E S. I know I said I wouldn't have any Nico ships here, but I can't help my sudden craving for Solangelo. I mean, damn, Hetalia yaoi must be to blame for this. Especially Matthew, because he is far too shippable for his own good and I ship him with like seven different nations. Including Alfred don'tjudgeOK**

**My interet's off so I don't know who I'm responding to, but someone asked for my opinion of the Italies? Mhm, I love both of those precious cinnamon buns. I do believe Veneziano needs more love though- I think he's a strong nation who's been through centuries of war and still manages to pull a smile.**

**As for Romano-**

**I could rant all day about how freaking amazing he is. I adore him SO much, and he happens to be my second shipping whore after Canada.**

**Ludwig? Eh. I don't mind him, though I really don't care much about him to be honest. Not my type. I love Ivan though 3 He's a sweet heart and I dislike when people make him a villain.**

**(btw anyone caught the FrUk reference? ;D Mell and Barbin...*cough* Bonnefoy and Kirkland)**

**(PEACE, and ship more Canada ships! How can you live without PruCan, NedCan, AmeCan, RomaCan, RusCan, Red Velvet Pancakes and Organic Maple? **notice the lack of Franada**)**

**#AmbieOuts**


	19. Chapter 20

Hello!

Wow, this feels different, haha. It's been literal ages since I've been on this account. Lots of events had required my attention, and as I grew older I became less and less able to prioritise my writing on here. It will be hard, it will be daunting and tiring, but I believe I owe it to myself and to my old readers to give finishing this a shot. How quickly time flows! I'm fifteen now. I can barely believe it. The several dilemmas that have taken over my life didn't stop my nostalgia, nor did they stop my past self's enthusiasm from getting to me again. I thought I was up to such a large series of connected events back then. Thing is, I actually might have been. But now, I'll have to work a bit at it to get my plot back under control. Which I'm more than willing to do. I'm unsure if anyone is going to follow still, but I owe everyone who's read this fanfic a large thanks for influencing me and encouraging me.

Expect an update after the 18th of May, the end of my end of term exams. A long one, too.

Love and warmth,

Your friend,

Ambie


	20. Melancholy

Nico honestly felt sour. The new, beautifully carved mahogany wand felt awkward and extremely wrong in his hands. A small, childish part within him wished to throw a tantrum and snap the offending piece of wood in two.

It bothered him a little how attached he'd grown to his old wand without realising that he had. But he supposed it didn't matter anyway, seeing as unlike the new wand in his pocket, Nico's old and trusty ash wand had been snapped in two .

The dark haired teen sighed and tried not to make his distaste too obvious. It was hard not to, seeing as there was quite a lot of reasons to express distate- not least of which was the wand, and the fact that the money he'd bought it with was earned because a bunch of inane politicians had placed him in one of the worst prisons in the Wizarding World for reasons which were neither valid nor true. And even without that; the sorry state of a place which held a special place in the hearts of many wizards, young and old, would be enough to disappoint anyone.

Gritting his teeth, Nico attempted to think of something less melancholy than. . Well, everything, speaking frankly.

He tried to think of his sister and his friends at the camps, but was then quickly reminded of the "Monsters attacking them nonstop" dilemma. Nico's chest constricted. He wracked his mind in an effort to think of something, of anything that wasn't related to this upcoming war.

As his subconsciously desperately searched for a pure memory to cling to, his thoughts went to the infirmary. He remembered Will, calm in times of danger, sharp and witty when it came to their usual, playful jabs against one another. The infirmary was always so uncomfortable, despite being a place where you'd go if you had a fetish for brutual injuries and blood. Nico subconsciously thought of the time Will had had to perform a sixteen hour surgery to reconnect Paolo's limbs. Yes, it was as unsual as any other place in Camp, but it was so comforting to be there. Will himself was an extremely relaxing person- he just always seemed to know what to say and what to do. His control over every situation he stumbled across was more than impressive The time he'd met Nico's dad, he got away with giving him a prescription for anaemia medicines and a jar of Nutella. Despite being strong willed, he was also gentle as a sparrow in the spring. Except that if he tried to sing, he'd probably drive someone bonkers. The runors of Will's horrible singing had reached him, though he'd thankfully been lucky enough to nevet personally hear it.

Nico smiled. His shoulders losed their tension, a warmth spreading in his chest. He could breathe again, and suddenly the urge to snap his new wand and the neck of anyone in his way subsisded considerably.

He turned towards Mr Weasley, who was walking beside him and glancing guiltily in his way now and again. Nico wanted to say something to reassure Mr Weasley that he felt fine, and that it wasn't so bad, really. But he just couldn't bring his tongue to form words- it was true that he felt better, but the air around Diagon Alley was still depressingly dull and heavy, enough to crush the spirits of anyone. His appetite for conversation was completely diminished.

"I suppose it wouldn't be too late yet to go get you an owl, yes?" Mr Weasley said, breaking the suffocating silence.

"No, I should hope not," Nico said, straightening up quite a bit. He owed it to Mr Weasley to delay his brooding for a while. "But I'd like to wait to get my books and stuff with the others, Mr Weasley, if that'd be all right?"

"But of course," said Mr Weasley, smiling that kind smile of his as the two made their way towards a wizarding pet shop.

Nico hoped the next trip was better. Were it up to him, he wouldn't really bother coming back again. But to his understanding, he was yet to see the less dismaying areas of Diagon Alley- namely, where Fred and George's new shop had opened and whatnot. And even if he wasn't the most considerate person, Nico had enough consideration to not drag Mr Weasley around the Alley for a trip he'd have to take days later anyway. It was good enough of him to accompany Nico to the trail AND the wandshop.

Their footsteps made comforting periodic taps beside one another- Nico allowed himself to relax a little with every passing couple of steps. He was beginning to grow exhausted- he had liked Xavia quite well, and still resented Lou a little for taking the raven with her, but he didn't feel as opposed to buying a pet as he did to buying a new wand.

For one, he mused as the hoots of owls and mews of cats grew steadily louder- he'd never really had a real pet to begin with. Xavia had been common property of the Hecate cabin, and he'd technically only been "borrowing" her. In a way, this was out of necessity but not compensation for anything he lost.

The magical pet shop was a chaotic place to say the very least- several dozen sounds from lots of peculiar creatures filled the place. Owls, cats, exotic appearing birds, rats, pygmy puffs and creatures he couldn't recognize for the life of him.

The lady behind the counter seemed to be struggling with a cage filled with magical parrots who kept repeating profanity over and over again. It took her a second to think of using a silencing charm, which seemed only to increase her frustration.

She muttered- a profanity of her own, perhaps- before turning her attention to her customers, an exhausting sigh forcing itself out of her lips.

"How may I help?" she said, but Nico internally translated it to "Please just get it over with, quickly."

In a few quick exchanged words, Nico gained permission to stare around at the owls. Perhaps disappointingly, none of them swore like the parrots did. And none of them appeared interesting to him in any way, either.

It took a moment for a tiny owl- the size of his palm and no bigger, to catch his attention. Its feathers were a light, ruffled brown, and its eyes were large and dilated. Nico squinted his eyes at it and considered it for a moment. It wasn't too large, which in return would probably make it less bothersome. Besides, it didn't seem to be making as much noise as the rest of the animals- it didn't as much as open its beak to hoot.

"I'll take this one," Nico said, tapping its cage with his fingers. He quickly swiped it back when the thing viciously swiped its claws at where his hand had been 0.3 seconds ago.

"Actually..."

"Oh, thank Merlin!" cried the storekeeper, immediately unhooking the thing's cage from the hook on the wall. "This little one almost caused the loss of the fingers of five wizards. What a delight to be getting rid of it."

Mr Weasley winced. "Actually, Madam-"

"Take it, take it," she urged pleadingly. "I'll sell it to you for seven Galleons- to hell with it, you can have it for six."

Nico cursed his luck yet again as the woman forced the cage into Mr Weasley's arms- the aninal within sat innocently grooming its feathers, as if it hadn't tried to mutilate Nico a moment before, but Nico swore it had an evil look in its large eyes.

"Really," Nico tried, "I'm fine with that big brown one over there-"

"Trust me, you don't want Tawny- he has mighty digestion problems for a bird."

Nico was now tempted to mimic the parrots in their profanities.

Mr Weasley looked ready to try and argue more, kind soul that he was, but Nico simply caught his eye and shook his head- a rabid, finger biting owl was really the least of his problems at the moment. In hindsight, that was kind of depressing.

Maybe he really should have just bought one of those swearing parrots.

**A/N: Haha, there you go! It was time to shake some dust off off my gears with this before the one coming after the 18th. It feels so good to write again! I should also take the time to thank everyone for their support, it's truly touching and very encouraging. I'm also currently rewriting the second chapter of the first fanfic. A recent reviewer was very right- my readers deserve far better content than what 12 year old me was capable of providing. Hopefully nearly three years of extra experience improved my writing abilities considerably.**

**Now, to answer a FAQ I've delayed long enough:**

_**IS Nico gay in this fanfic?:**_** Interestingly common one. When I started writing this, I was a queasy twelve year old who could barely think of writing a PG kiss scene, so I decided not to put Nico in any relationship. For all intents an purposes, Nico was not gay. Neither was he straight. To make it plot driven, I guess I wrote it in such a way that implied he was aromantic and asexual, at least for the time being. But that was in the past; when I had neither experience nor understanding of romance. Now, I can say this: yes, he's gay. I will not allow myself to be one of the people who claim to respect and have nothing against the LGBT and/or support it, then turn around and disregard canon sexualities. However- there will be no concentration on romance whatsoever. Those of you who read ToA may be aware that Nico and Will are officially boyfriends- so now I feel validated to imply solangelo in the background in this fanfic. Nico will think of Will, Nico will have moments with him but it will definitely be in the general background of the story and probably have little to no effect on the plot.**

**I hope that answered your question! Now to end this very long A/N- have a wonderful day, everyone!**


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